A total of 15,931 candidates are in the fray for elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra on January 15, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Saturday for the upcoming Maharashtra local body elections, reported the PTI.
According to the SEC, 33,247 nominations were filed, of which 24,771 were declared valid after scrutiny. Out of these, 8,840 candidates withdrew their nominations before the deadline at 3 pm on Friday.
The elections cover 2,869 seats spread across 893 wards. Except for Mumbai, which has 227 seats, the remaining municipal corporations feature multi-member wards.
1,700 candidates to contest in BMC polls
In Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, 2,516 nominations were filed, and 2,153 were found valid. After 453 candidates withdrew, 1,700 candidates remain in the race for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Around 2,516 nomination papers received were scrutinised on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, civic officials said.
As many as 164 nomination papers were declared invalid during scrutiny, while the remaining 2,185 nomination papers were declared valid. The deadline for withdrawing nominations or candidature applications was Friday.
As of Saturday’s latest update, 167 nomination papers were declared invalid, 2,231 were found valid, and 453 were withdrawn, bringing the final number of candidates to 1,700, officials said.
Pune records highest Number of withdrawals
Pune Municipal Corporation saw the highest withdrawals among the 29 civic bodies. Out of 3,061 nominations, 2,134 were valid, but 968 candidates withdrew, leaving 1,166 candidates contesting 165 seats across 41 wards.
Nagpur, Nashik, and other cities
In Nagpur Municipal Corporation, with 38 wards and 151 seats, 1,442 nominations were received, 1,293 declared valid, and after 300 withdrawals, 993 candidates remain, the data showed on Saturday.
Other notable withdrawals include —
– Nashik – 661
– Solapur – 532
– Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar – 552
– Pimpri-Chinchwad – 443
– Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar – 859
– Nashik – 735
– Navi Mumbai – 499
Final candidate list released
The SEC stated that the release of the final candidate list marks the completion of the scrutiny and withdrawal process, paving the way for polling on 15 January and counting of votes the following day.
