Maharashtra zilla parishad, panchayat samiti polls postponed after 3-day mourning for Ajit Pawar - Check new dates

The Maharashtra zilla paishads (ZPs) and panchayat samiti election and result have been postponed in the wake of three-day mourning announced by the Maharashtra government after the tragic death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.

Voting for elections to 12 zilla parishads and 125 panchayat samitis in Maharashtra will now take place on February 7, instead of February 5 as announced earlier, the State Election Commission said on Thursday, January 29.

The counting of votes in Maharashtra zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections, which was supposed to be hld on February 7, will now be held on February 9, the poll body said.

The polls have been deferred in view of the three-day mourning declared in the state after the passing away of deputy CM Ajit Pawar in an air crash on January 28, the SEC said in a statement.

The three-day mourning was announced from January 28 to 30.

The election schedule for 12 zilla parishads and 125 panchayat samitis was announced on January 13 and the process of filing nominations, withdrawal, symbol allotment and publication of the final list of candidates have already been completed, it said.

The Supreme Court had granted a two-week extension beyond January 31 to complete the polls. But with Ajit Pawar's passing and the state government declaring three-day mourning, the authroities were prompted to make changes in the remaining states of the election.

District collectors will issue revised notifications on January 31. Campaigning for the polls will end at 10 pm on February 5 and polling will be held two days later between 7.30 am and 5.30 pm.

The counting of votes will begin at 10 am on February 9, after which the model code of conduct will be withdrawn.

The commission said the names of elected members would be notified in the government gazette by February 11. The elections will cover 731 seats across 12 zilla parishads and 1,462 seats in 125 panchayat samitis.

A total of 2,624 candidates are contesting the zilla parishad polls, while 4,814 nominees are in the fray for the panchayat samiti elections. Zilla parishads and panchayat samitis form an integral part of the rural local self-government system.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai, took place on January 15 and results were announced the next day. Polls to municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra were held in December.

(With agency inputs)