An election official places an ink mark on the voter’s finger. File | Photo credit: Ritu Raj Konwar
The Maharashtra government has declared a paid holiday for employees of various establishments, businesses and other workplaces on December 2, 2025 to enable them to vote in the Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections.
According to the Government Resolution (GR) issued on Friday (November 28, 2025), employees in constituencies where voting will take place on Tuesday (December 2, 2025) are entitled to paid leave to exercise their right to vote.
Elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats (municipal councils) spread across Maharashtra will be held in the first phase of the long-running urban and rural local polls.
The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Labor said the decision was taken to ensure all eligible citizens could exercise their right to vote, noting that in previous elections, some facilities did not provide paid vacation or time off, disenfranchising many people.
The GR also cited provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which mandate paid leave for voters on election day.
The holiday directive will apply to all workers, employees and officials who are voters in polling stations, regardless of whether their place of work is inside or outside the constituency.
Establishments under the Ministry of Labour, including factories, shops, hotels, commercial establishments, IT companies, shopping malls and retail outlets, must comply with the directive. Providers of essential or non-stop services must provide two to three hours of extra time off if a full day off was not possible, the GR said.
The government has warned that failure to provide paid holiday or reasonable time off will attract action if complaints are received.
The GR contained a detailed list of municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the districts where polls will be held on December 2, 2025.
The first round of polls will be followed by polls for 336 Panchayat Samitis, 32 Zilla Parishads and 29 Municipal Corporations, including Mumbai – the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the State Election Commission.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 18:03 IST
