The Maharashtra government has declared a public holiday on January 15, 2026, under the Negotiable Instruments Act to facilitate voting in the upcoming civic body elections across the state.
The holiday will apply to 29 municipal corporations, including Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban districts governed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. The order has been issued under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, with powers delegated to the state through a 1968 Ministry of Home Affairs notification.
Notably, this holiday wasn't part of the 24 public holidays for 2026 previously announced by the state government.
"This public holiday is only applicable to the following local government bodies elections jurisdiction," according to a release.
Therefore, uncertainty remains around banking and stock market operations. As of now, the Reserve Bank of India has not issued any communication regarding bank closures for January 15, 2026.
Typically, RBI-administered markets, including government bonds, call, triparty repo, and foreign exchange markets, are shut on holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act.
Elections to the BMC and 28 other civic bodies will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. Voting in Mumbai will take place from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm across all 227 wards. A majority in the BMC requires 114 seats.
It is pertinent to note that in the 2017 civic elections, the undivided Shiv Sena had won 84 seats.
A total of 1,03,44,315 persons are eligible to vote in the BMC election, including 55,16,707 male voters, 48,26,509 female voters, and 1,099 other voters.
Share
Tweet
