Election Commission of Maharashtra

Maharashtra Election Commission

The state of Maharashtra has been a constituent state of the Indian Union since Independence. Owing to its large geographic expanse and populous pockets of regions, the state has always played a leading role in national politics. Situated in western India, it also accounts for a lion's share of government's revenue, mostly due to the presence of Mumbai, the commercial capital of India. The Maharashtra Election Commission was formed on April 26, 1994, with the general motive to conduct all rural and urban local body elections. It is an independent agency of the Government of Maharashtra, and is responsible for elections to the Corporations, Municipalities, Distict Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, Gram Panchayats, Zilla-Parishads and other local government bodies. The elections in this state are conducted in accordance with the Constitution of India. The Assembly of Maharashtra enforces laws to conduct local-body elections unilaterally. Any changes by the State Legislature regarding the conduct of state level elections need to be approved by the Parliament of India.

History and its Formation

The new amendments in the Constitution of India that came into force in the 1990s provisioned each Indian state to have an election commission of its own to administer and superintend the electoral procedures of the local bodies in the state. Hence, in the year of 1994, the State Election Commission of Maharashtra was established as per provisions of Article 243K and 243ZA of the Constitution of India. It was formed as a free, federal body, but under the helm of the state government.

Chief Election Commissioner of Maharashtra

A term of six years is fixed for the Chief Election Commissioner from the date on which he assumes office. At the age of sixty-five, irrespective of whether the six-year term has been completed or not, the Commissioner has to vacate his office. At present,Smt. Neela Satyanarayana is the election commissioner with effect from July 6, 2009. She is the first woman to hold this prestigious post of State Election Commissioner in Maharashtra. She is an IAS Officer of the 1972 batch. After supervising crucial departments like revenue, home, forest, information and publicity, she retired as additional chief secretary. She has an artistic side as well, with interests in music and literature. She has several collections of poems and plays written in Hindi and Marathi, and later translated to other languages.

Officers Appointed By the Election Commission of Maharashtra:

The State Election Commission appoints officers to dutifully carry out its activities and various procedures. The names of different officers appointed are as follows:

• State Election Commissioner: Shri. Jageshwar S . Saharia
• Secretary: Shri Sunil Porwal
• Under Secretary: Shri D. M. Kaned
• Asst. Commissioner: Shri A. T. Sanas
• Dy. Secretary: Shri P. B. Dandekar
• Asst. Commissioner: Smt. P. A. Shirsolkar
• Dy. CEO: Smt. Dr. Dipti Patil
• Desk Officer: Shri A. G. Jadhav


• Desk Officer: Shri Sanjay Hendre
• Desk Officer: Shri N. J. Wagle
• Tahsildar: Aarti Saravade
• Desk Officer: Smt. Manisha Rane
• Desk Officer: Shri. V. D. Bhople
• Accounts Officer: Shri. D. N. Mapuskar

Contact Information and address
Maharashtra Election Commission
First Floor, New Administrator Building
Hutatma Rajguru Chowk, Madam Cama Road
Mumbai 400 032
Phone: 022-22846720, 022-22045075
Fax: 022-22846719, 022-22046909, 022-22846720
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.mahasec.com