Overview

• The State Election Commission said polls for municipal corporations, councils, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis will start after Diwali and conclude by mid-January 2026, with the precise phase schedule to be announced later.
• VVPAT machines will be omitted from the upcoming local elections due to resource constraints, prompting opposition demands for ballot papers or legal challenges to safeguard transparency.
• Polls will adhere to the Supreme Court’s orders by using 2017 ward boundaries and preserving fixed reservations for SC/ST candidates while allocating OBC seats through a lottery.
• The elections will utilize the voter list finalized on July 1, 2025, and rely on over 8,700 control units and more than 17,000 EVMs to manage manpower and equipment across phases.
• Most local bodies have been overseen by administrators since their 2017 terms expired, underscoring the urgency to restore elected representation after repeated litigation and delays.