District Council and Panchayat Samiti Polls Rescheduled to February 7, 2026

Vote counting deferred to February 9 following three-day state mourning

The voting for District Councils (Zilla Parishads) and Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra has been rescheduled from February 5 to February 7, 2026, while vote counting will now take place on February 9, 2026, instead of February 7. The change follows the three-day state mourning declared after the demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

The decision affects 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis across the state. An official announcement was issued in Mumbai on January 29, 2026, confirming revisions to the remaining stages of the election process.

The State Election Commission Maharashtra had earlier declared the election schedule on January 13, 2026. As per the original programme, crucial pre-poll stages—including filing of nominations, withdrawal of candidature, allotment of election symbols, and publication of the final list of candidates—have already been completed. Only polling, counting of votes, and publication of results in the official gazette were pending.

The revised schedule became necessary in view of the statewide mourning observed from January 28 to January 30, 2026, following Ajit Pawar’s accidental death on January 28, 2026. Authorities clarified that the changes were also aligned with directions from the Supreme Court of India, which had granted only a two-week extension beyond January 31, 2026 for conducting these local body elections.

Taking these constraints into account, district collectors will issue revised election notifications on January 31, 2026.

According to the updated programme, polling will be held on February 7, 2026, from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. Consequently, election campaigning will officially end at 10 pm on February 5, 2026. Vote counting will commence at 10 am on February 9, 2026, after which the Model Code of Conduct will be lifted in the respective districts.

The names of the elected members will be published in the government gazette by February 11, 2026, completing the statutory election process.

Election officials stated that the rescheduling aims to respect the period of public mourning while ensuring compliance with constitutional timelines, allowing the democratic process at the grassroots level to proceed without legal or administrative complications.