Mumbai, Jan 14 || Polling will be held on Thursday for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with counting of votes scheduled on Friday.
While elections were originally scheduled for 2,869 seats, 68 candidates have been elected unopposed. Consequently, voting will now take place for 2,801 seats.
The 29 corporations include two newly-formed civic bodies -- Jalna and Ichalkaranji. The list includes major cities like Nagpur, Pune, Thane, Nashik and Navi Mumbai, many of which have been functioning under administrators since their terms expired between 2020 and 2023.
A distinct voting method will be followed for different regions. In Mumbai (BMC), where a single-member ward system is applicable, each voter will cast only one vote to elect one representative for the ward. However, there is a multi-member ward system in 28 other corporations. Most wards will have four seats.
A major logistical exercise is underway to accommodate 3.48 crore eligible voters. According to the State Election Commission (SEC), there are 39,147 polling stations with 43,958 Control Units and 87,916 Ballot Units.