Voters wait in queues to cast their votes during the municipal council elections at a polling station in Karad, Maharashtra on December 20, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Maharashtra local body polls held on Saturday (December 20, 2025) were marred by allegations of bogus voting, voter list irregularities, impersonation, and cash distribution, prompting police action and special investigations in multiple districts.
In Ambernath, police detained 208 women allegedly brought from Bhiwandi to cast fake votes. A senior official from the Ambernath municipal election office told The Hindu, “Last night around 12, we learnt about an allegation that in Krishna Marriage Hall in Ambernath, 208 women were brought from Bhiwandi for the purpose of bogus voting. Police reached the spot and since it was midnight, and as per rule, women can’t be questioned or taken into custody at that time, the questioning began from Saturday (December 20, 2025) morning and it is still ongoing. A special investigation team (SIT) is formed to probe the matter. The report will come out tomorrow.”
Police confirmed identity checks are under way and that the election department is assisting in the probe. The incident triggered tension during polling, with rival groups clashing over EVM tampering allegations and cash-for-votes claims, forcing police to resort to mild lathi-charge at one centre.
In Panvel, a voter list controversy sparked outrage after reports that one man was listed as the father of 268 voters. Many names were linked to non-local youth belonging to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, raising concerns about duplicate entries and phantom addresses, officials said.
In Nanded district’s Dharmabad, polling was disrupted after allegations that voters were confined in a marriage hall while money was being distributed. Police rescued the detained voters and dispersed the crowd. The incident led to heated exchanges between leaders of the BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and NCP(SP) at Ward No. 8 polling station. “There were allegations that some people were kept in a temple also but when the flying squad visited, they said they had come to pray. We are still investigating the matter; issues have erupted from different locations,” a local police officer said.
In Nashik district’s Sinnar, a 25-year-old man was detained for allegedly impersonating his brother using a fake Aadhaar card. Cash seizures happened in Akola, Buldhana, Beed, and Pune, with claims of inducements ranging from ₹500 notes to ₹10,000 per vote in some areas.
Voting for the posts of president and members in 23 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, as well as for 143 vacant member posts, concluded at 5.30 p.m. on Saturday (December 20, 2025), officials said. Prominent local bodies included Baramati in Pune district and Ambernath in Thane district.
Polling began at 7.30 a.m., and by afternoon, the State Election Commission reported a 47.04% turnout. Six wards in Sinnar, Ozar and Chandwad recorded 49.47% voting.
Counting of votes for all 286 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, including those that went to polls on December 2, will begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday (December 21, 2025). Elections for Dondaicha municipal council and Angar nagar panchayat were unopposed, while the poll for Jammer municipal president also saw no contest.
‘Misuse of money, power’
Addressing reporters in Mumbai, All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and Maharashtra in-charge Ramesh Chennithala accused the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti of “massive misuse of money and power” in local body polls. “Ruling parties are misusing money, power in a big way in local polls. Maharashtra has become a leading State in corruption,” Mr. Chennithala said, describing municipal elections as “workers’ elections” and announcing that the Congress was fully prepared to take on “this wave of corruption.”
He added, “We will raise key issues such as corruption and pollution during the BMC elections,” and confirmed that the Congress would contest the BMC polls alone, promising to release a chargesheet and manifesto targeting alleged civic-level misgovernance.
He said seat-sharing under the opposition INDIA bloc would be decided by local leadership based on ground realities. Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal alleged that “there is no rule of law left in Maharashtra” and described the fight as ideological.
Officials said the SIT in Ambernath will submit its findings after verifying voter credentials, while police in Nanded and Panvel continue inquiries. The State Election Commission has not yet issued a formal statement on these incidents.
Published – December 20, 2025 10:31 pm IST
