Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are likely to be held in October, November or December, though the final decision will be taken by the Election Commission (EC).
Speaking at the Mumbai edition of the CNN-News18 Townhall on Wednesday, Fadnavis stressed that it is the EC, not the state government, that has the authority to set the election date.
Election Preparations Already in Motion
According to Fadnavis, the EC has already started the groundwork for the polls.
“The first step involves forming wards for Zilla Parishads, Nagar Palikas and Mahanagar Palikas, this is almost complete. Once that’s done, the updated voters’ list will be released,” he explained.
He said the EC has indicated that holding all local body elections simultaneously would not be feasible, and so voting will take place in three phases: Zilla Parishads first, followed by Nagar Palikas, and finally Mahanagar Palikas.
Mahayuti to Contest United
Based on this schedule, Fadnavis said he expects the BMC elections to fall between October and December. He also dismissed speculation of any divisions within the Mahayuti alliance, confirming that all partners will contest the polls together.
“Eknath Shinde and I are on the same page,” he said.
The Mahayuti alliance consists of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
