Mumbai: Elections for the Maharashtra Legislative Council have been announced. A total of 10 seats will be contested — 9 regular seats and 1 by-election.
Voting will be held on May 12, 2026, from 9 AM to 4 PM. The counting of votes will also take place on the same day.
Sapkal’s statement
Congress leader Harshvardhan Sapkal said that his party is ready to support Uddhav Thackeray if he wants to enter the Council. But for any other name, talks will be needed.
He also said that the seat once held by Rajiv Satav should go to Congress. According to him, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier spoken about following political “tradition,” so now that promise should be respected.
Seats getting vacant
Nine members of the Council will complete their term, including leaders from BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP.
Simple math of the election
A candidate needs 28 votes to win
The ruling alliance (BJP, Shiv Sena – Shinde group, NCP – Ajit Pawar group) has enough numbers to win around 8 seats easily
The opposition alliance has numbers to win only 1 seat comfortably
Winning another seat will be difficult for them as they need extra votes
Election schedule
Notification: April 23, 2026
Last date to file nomination: April 30
Scrutiny: May 2
Withdrawal: May 4
Voting: May 12
Counting: May 12 (5 PM)
Process ends: May 13, 2026
The focus is now on which party will get the one seat from the opposition side.