The Maharashtra government on Thursday has declared a public holiday on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, a public holiday in municipal corporation election jurisdictions across the State.
This is done to facilitate voting for elections to 29 Municipal Corporations, according to a notification issued by the General Administration Department.
The order has been issued under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, with powers delegated to the State government through a 1968 Ministry of Home Affairs notification.
Officials said the holiday is intended to ensure that eligible voters can exercise their franchise without disruption to work schedules.
List of 29 Municipalities (Division wise)
The holiday will apply only within the notified election areas, which include major civic bodies such as:
Mumbai Municipal Corporation
Thane Municipal Corporation
Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation
Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation
Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation
Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation
Mira-Bhayander Municipal Corporation
Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation
Panvel Municipal Corporation
Nashik Municipal Corporation
Malegaon Municipal Corporation
Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar) Municipal Corporation
Jalgaon Municipal Corporation
Dhule Municipal Corporation
Pune Municipal Corporation
Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
Solapur Municipal Corporation
Kolhapur Municipal Corporation
Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation
Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad Municipal Corporation
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation
Nanded-Waghala Municipal Corporation
Parbhani Municipal Corporation
Jalna Municipal Corporation
Latur Municipal Corporation
Amravati Municipal Corporation
Akola Municipal Corporation
Nagpur Municipal Corporation
Chandrapur Municipal Corporation
It should be noted that the notification notes that the public holiday will also be available to registered voters of the poll-bound areas even if they are working outside the territorial limits of their voting jurisdictions.
It further extends to Government of India offices, semi-government offices, undertakings and banks, among others, in the notified areas.
BMC Election Stats
There has been a more than 25% drop in the number of candidates in the fray for the January 15 elections to the BMC, over the previous polls in 2017, but more women than men are in the ring this time around. A total of 1,700 candidates (879 women and 821 men) are vying for 227 seats in India's largest and richest civic body. Notably, there is no transgender candidate in the fray this time.
The number of contestants in 2026 marks a decline of 25.27 per cent from the 2,275 candidates who fought the civic polls in February 2017. At that time, a total of 1,190 males, 1,084 females and one transgender candidate had contested the elections.
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