Mumbai, Dec 19 (IANS) Voting for the 24 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats along with 154 individual member seats from 76 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats in Maharashtra is scheduled to take place on Saturday, government officials said.

The state administration has completed its preparations, and polling staff have reached their respective voting centres.

The State Election Commission (SEC) had originally scheduled the polls for December 2.

However, the elections were postponed to December 19 following appeals filed in district courts against decisions made by the returning officers.

According to the SEC statement, the posts of President and Councillors in the Anagar, Jamner, and Dondaicha Nagar Panchayats have been elected unopposed.

While the President of the Jamner Nagar Panchayat was elected unopposed, voting for certain member seats will proceed on Saturday.

Voting will be held in Yavatmal, Washim, Baramati, Ambernath, Mahabaleshwar, Phaltan, Kopargaon, Deolali Pravara, Pathardi, Nevasa, Phursungi-Uruli Devachi, Mangalwedha, Phulambri, Mukhed, Dharmabad, Nilanga, Renapur, Basmat, Anjangaon Surji, Balapur, Deulgaon Raja, Deoli, and Ghugus.

The general election schedule for 246 nagar parishads and 42 nagar panchayats was initially announced on November 4.

However, disputes arose following the scrutiny of nomination papers.

Several candidates approached the court, alleging that election symbols were allotted before they were granted the mandatory three-day window to withdraw their nominations.

Due to this ongoing legal process, the SEC deferred the polls in these specific locations.

The results for these seats, along with the locations where voting was conducted on December 2, will be counted simultaneously on December 21.

Meanwhile, campaigning for these local bodies ended on Friday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar held poll rallies in these local bodies since last three days.

In few local bodies, the Mahayuti allies are contesting polls together while in some they are pitted against each other.

Earlier, during the first phase of voting held on December 2, 67.63 per cent polling was recorded.

“Since these were the local body polls, the data of voting percentage from several local bodies in a district was first compiled at the district collector level and was later sent to us. Therefore, it took longer time to announce official percentage,” an official from the SEC said.

Murgud Municipal Council in Kolhapur district witnessed the highest polling percentage with 88.43 per cent. Besa Pipla in Nagpur district saw lowest voter turnout with 51.33 per cent.

Already mired in controversy over poaching of leaders across allies and Opposition, the first phase of local body elections in Maharashtra on December 2 was marred by instances of violence over bogus voters as political parties targeted each other across constituencies.

–IANS

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