Pune, 30 January 2026: The Maharashtra State Election Commission has revised the election schedule for Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections across the state following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the declaration of a three-day state mourning.
As per the updated programme, voting will now take place on February 7, 2026, instead of the earlier announced February 5. Polling will be held from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. The vote counting has been rescheduled to February 9, beginning at 10 am.
The Election Commission had originally announced the election programme on January 13, 2026, covering 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis. All preparatory stages, including filing and withdrawal of nominations, allotment of symbols, and publication of the final list of candidates, have already been completed.
Following Ajit Pawar’s accidental death on January 28, the state government declared mourning from January 28 to January 30. Taking this period into account, the Commission revised the remaining stages of the election process. The Supreme Court had earlier granted a limited extension for completing these elections beyond January 31.
Accordingly, district collectors will publish the revised election notifications on January 31. Campaigning will officially end at 10 pm on February 5. Once the results are declared on February 9, the Model Code of Conduct will be lifted, and the names of the elected representatives will be published in the State Gazette by February 11, 2026.
