Maharashtra MLC elections: Voting for 17 seats on June 18, counting on June 22 | Mumbai News

May 18, 2026 Headlinesnews

2 min readMumbaiMay 18, 2026 12:39 PM IST

The Election Commission Monday announced the schedule for elections to 17 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council. Polling will be held on June 18, and counting will be conducted on June 22.

In addition to polling for 16 MLC seats to be elected from local bodies, a bypoll for the Nagpur local authorities’ constituency will be held. This seat fell vacant following the resignation of Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly during the 2024 state polls.

While the newly elected members for the 16 standard seats will serve a full six-year tenure, the candidate winning the Nagpur bypoll will hold office for the remainder of the current term, which ends on January 1, 2028.

Under guidelines laid down by the Election Commission, a local authority’s constituency can go to the polls only if at least 75 per cent of its underlying local self-government bodies (such as municipal corporations, councils, and zilla parishads) are actively functioning. Furthermore, at least 75 per cent of the total electors within those bodies must be legally in office.

Due to delayed municipal and civic elections across the state over the last few years, this necessary statutory requirement had not been fulfilled.

Following the completion of the long-delayed civic body elections, the ECI confirmed that the 75 per cent operational threshold has finally been crossed across the relevant regions, paving the way for the poll notification.

According to the official schedule released by the poll panel, the formal gazette notification for the MLC elections will be issued on May 25.
The last date for candidates to file their nomination papers is June 1, after which scrutiny of the submissions will begin. Candidates who wish to withdraw from multi-cornered contests will have until June 4 to officially take back their nominations.

Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra’s hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues.
Expertise

Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai.

Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the ‘hinterlands’).

Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including:

State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana).

Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides).

Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC’s OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits.

Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness

Academic Specialization: Holds a Post-graduate degree in Geology. This background gives him a foundational understanding of natural resources, which directly informs his reporting on environment, water, and infrastructure projects.

Early Professional Experience: His shift to journalism came after working with an NGO focused on the water sector. This practical experience strengthens his Expertise in critical areas like water management and rural development, as evidenced by his reporting on the Jal Jeevan Mission.

Journalism Training: An alumnus of the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, confirming his formal training and commitment to rigorous journalistic standards.

Alok Deshpande’s rare combination of scientific education, non-profit sector experience, and deep political reporting makes him a highly trusted and authoritative voice on the governance and ground realities of Maharashtra.
He tweets @alokdesh … Read More

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