Mumbai, May 18 : The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the schedule for the long-delayed biennial elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) from 16 Local Authorities' Constituencies. The polling is scheduled on June 18, and the counting of votes will be conducted on June 22.

According to a press note, the ECI has outlined a swift timeline for the entire electoral process, which must be completed before late June. The notification will be issued on May 25, the last date of filing nominations on June 1, scrutiny of nominations on June 2 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations on June 4.

The constituencies, along with the names of the members whose terms expired, include Solapur: Prashant Prabhakar Paricharak (Retired January 1, 2022), Ahmednagar: Arunkaka Babhimrao Jagtap (Retired January 1, 2022), Thane: Phatak Ravindra Sadanand (Retired June 8, 2022), Jalgaon: Chandubhai V. Patel (Retired December 5, 2022), Sangli-cum-Satara: Kadam Mohanrao Shripati (Retired December 5, 2022), Nanded: Amarnath Anantrao Rajurkar (Retired December 5, 2022), Yavatmal: Dushyant Satish Chaturvedi (Retired December 5, 2022), Pune: Anil Shivajirao Bhosale (Retired December 5, 2022),Bhandara-cum-Gondia: Dr. Parinay Ramesh Fuke (Retired December 5, 2022), Raigad-cum-Ratnagiri-cum-Sindhudurg: Aniket Sunil Tatkare (Retired May 31, 2024), Nashik: Narendra Bhikaji Darade (Retired June 21, 2024), Wardha-cum-Chandrapur-cum-Gadchiroli: Ramdas Bhagwanji Ambatkar (Retired June 21, 2024), Amravati: Pravin Ramchandra Pote (Retired June 21, 2024), Osmanabad-cum-Latur-cum-Beed: Dhas Suresh Ramchandra (Retired June 21, 2024), Parbhani-cum-Hingoli: Viplove Gopikishan Bajoria (Retired June 21, 2024) and Aurangabad-cum-Jalna: Ambadas Eknathrao Danve (Retired August 29, 2025).

The upcoming elections will fill vacancies that have been piling up since 2022.

Under standard ECI guidelines, an election for a Local Authority's constituency can only be conducted if at least 75 per cent of the local bodies within that constituency are actively functioning and at least 75 per cent of the electors (voters) within those local bodies are in position. Due to the expiration of terms and extensive delays in holding local body elections (such as municipal corporations, municipal councils, and zilla parishads) across Maharashtra over the last few years, these criteria were not met. As a result, representation for these areas remained suspended.

The situation has now changed. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Maharashtra recently informed the Commission that the 75 per cent functionality and elector threshold criteria have finally been fulfilled across all 16 affected constituencies, paving the way for the democratic process to resume, said the ECI in the notification. The 16 seats up for polls have been vacant for varying periods, with some members having retired as far back as January 2022.

The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) concerning this biennial election has come into force with immediate effect in all the concerned constituencies. Political parties and sitting representatives in these districts will have to strictly adhere to the ECI's code guidelines, restricting any fresh policy announcements, administrative transfers, or major government advertisements in the polling zones until the formal completion of the election cycle on June 25.

The sweeping mandate secured by the Mahayuti alliance in the recent local self-government elections has fundamentally flipped the script, as it is expected to win more seats against the Maha Vikas Aghadi during the upcoming state council elections. Major regional hubs like Pune, Thane, Nashik, Sangli-Satara, and Yavatmal -- which went vacant following a series of expirations and political realignments -- are now heavily dominated by ruling alliance councillors.

Having successfully consolidated corporate bodies like Pune and Solapur, the BJP expects to claim a lion's share of these 16 local body seats. Eknath Shindeâ??s Shiv Sena, backed by a dominant showing in the Thane Municipal Corporation and parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, is driving a hard bargain to secure seats in its regional strongholds like Thane-Palghar and Raigad-Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.

For the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising the Congress, Uddhav Thackerayâ??s Shiv Sena(UBT), and Sharad Pawarâ??s NCP(SP) -- these upcoming local body council seats present a grim tactical landscape. Unlike the Assembly-elected seats, where a clear quota system allows proportional representation based on MLA numbers, the Local Authorities' seats are a "winner-takes-all" game decided by the absolute numbers of local councillors.

"The reality of the local bodies' tier is that your strength on paper mirrors your strength on the ground," noted a political analyst. "Since the MVA took a severe beating in the municipal corporation elections across the state, their capability to defend historical strongholds in places like Nashik, Jalgaon, or Kolhapur will be tested to the limit." The only exceptions lie in pockets like Kolhapur, where Congress still retains a fighting chance through its traditional cooperative network, and pockets of Marathwada where the Shiv Sena(UBT) maintains a committed cadre base.

With 10 newly elected members recently sworn in, including six from the BJP, the ruling alliance is on the cusp of an absolute majority. Successfully capturing the bulk of the 16 remaining local body seats will give the Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti complete legislative hegemony, allowing a friction-free passage for crucial infrastructure approvals, industrial policies, and administrative reforms ahead.

/IANS