Municipal elections have been announced in Maharashtra after 3 years. On January 15, voting will be held for 29 municipal corporations, 32 district councils and 336 panchayat committees. BMC elections are considered to decide the direction of the state’s politics.
After a long wait of almost three years, Maharashtra politics has once again come into election mode. The battle to capture the urban and rural power centers of the state will now be fought on a fixed date. Municipal elections will be held in Maharashtra on January 15, which will not only decide the local governments but are also considered to decide the political direction of the state.
Voting will be held on January 15, results will come the next day
According to the State Election Commission, voting will be held for 29 municipal corporations, 32 district councils and 336 panchayat committees of Maharashtra on January 15. The results of all these elections will be declared on January 16.
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Maharashtra politics hinges on BMC elections
From the political point of view, elections in big cities like Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune and Thane are considered to be the most important. Especially the BMC elections are being considered to decide the direction of Maharashtra politics.
Asia’s richest municipal corporation becomes election battlefield
BMC is not only the largest municipal corporation in the country, but is also considered to be the richest municipal corporation in Asia. Its budget is more than the annual budget of many small states. Earlier it was under the control of undivided Shiv Sena, but this time the contest has become very interesting.
BJP’s eyes on BMC, Shinde faction also in the fray
This time the strategy of Bharatiya Janata Party is to leave Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) behind and gain power in BMC. On the question asked regarding the post of Mayor, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said that the Mayor will be from the Mahayuti alliance only.
Mahavikas Aghadi also came out with full force
Opposition Mahavikas Aghadi is also in aggressive mode regarding these elections. This election is considered very important especially for Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress. After his performance in the last assembly elections, his political future is also believed to be linked to these civic elections.
Possible unity of Thackeray brothers became a topic of discussion
The municipal elections have also raised the possibility of bringing together Thackeray brothers Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray on one platform after decades. However, no official announcement has been made yet regarding both of them contesting the elections together.
Elections were pending from 2022, legal dispute became the reason
The tenure of many municipal corporations including Mumbai, Pune and Thane had ended in 2022 itself. Elections kept getting postponed due to legal and administrative disputes related to OBC reservation and ward delimitation.
Process accelerated after Supreme Court deadline
The Supreme Court had set the deadline to complete all pending municipal elections by January 31. Only after this the election process gained momentum in the state.
The results of city councils will also be monitored
Voting for 264 city councils and nagar panchayats of the state was held on December 2, the results of which will be declared on December 21. At the same time, elections in 24 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats will be postponed to 20th December, the results of which will also come on 21st December.
These elections will be decisive for the politics of the state
Political analysts believe that these municipal elections will not only decide the local governments but will also clearly show the mood of the people for the upcoming assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
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