Maharashtra Zilla Parishad Election Result Highlights: BJP crosses 200-mark, Congress sees tally halved; NCP maintains stronghold in rural Pune

ZP Election Result 2026 Live Updates: Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra recorded a voter turnout of 68.28 per cent, the State Election Commission (SEC) said on Sunday. Polling was held on Saturday across 12 districts — Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv and Latur — to elect 731 members from among 2,624 candidates.

Parbhani district registered the highest turnout at 74.89 per cent, followed by Kolhapur at 74.45 per cent. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar recorded a turnout of 72.69 per cent. Ratnagiri saw the lowest participation, with 55.79 per cent of voters casting their ballots. Counting of votes is scheduled for February 9.

The elections were originally slated for February 5 but were postponed following the death of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash and the declaration of three days of state mourning. Seen as the first major electoral exercise since the tragedy, the polls are being closely watched for indications of the future direction and internal unity of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), whose rival factions contested the elections as allies in their western Maharashtra strongholds.

The Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis in these districts were last elected in 2017. In those elections, the NCP emerged as the single largest party, winning 225 seats across the 12 districts. It posted particularly strong performances in Pune, Satara, Osmanabad (now Dharashiv) and Parbhani.

The BJP finished second with 141 seats, registering its strongest showing in Latur, followed by Sangli and Aurangabad (now Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar). The Congress secured 123 seats, while Shiv Sena won 119. Independent candidates and smaller local groups together accounted for 80 seats, highlighting the continued influence of regional players in local body politics.