Mumbai, Nov 9 (IANS): In yet another round of mini-general elections at the grassroots level in Maharashtra, 7,751 Gram Panchayats will vote on December 18, and directly elect their respective Sarpanches, State Election Commissioner U.P.S. Madan said here on Wednesday.

The polling will be conducted for the GPs whose terms are expiring in 34 of the state's 36 districts between October-December 2022, and the results shall be declared on December 20.

As per the schedule, the nomination papers can be filed from November 28, scrutiny will be done on December 5, and the last date for withdrawal would be December 7 along with distribution of election symbols to the candidates.

Voting will be held on December 18 from 7.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m., but only till 3 p.m. only in the Maoist-affected areas, and the counting of votes will take place on December 20, said Madan.

The highest number of GPs which are going to polls are: Beed - 704, Kolhapur - 475, Sangli - 452, Bhandara- 363, Latur - 351, Gondia - 348, Sindhudurg - 325, Satara - 319.

There are also elections to GPs in Washim - 287, Buldana - 279, Akola and Jalna - 266 each, Amravati - 257, Raigad - 240, Nagpur - 237, Ratnagiri - 222, Pune - 221, Aurangabad - 219, Ahmednagar - 203.

Going to polls are GPs in Nashik - 196, Solapur - 189, Nanded - 181, Osmanabad - 166, Jalgaon - 140, Dhule and Parbhani 128 each, Nandurbar - 123, Wardha - 113, Yavatmal - 100.

Voting in the GPs shall be held in Palghar - 63, Hingoli - 62, Chandrapur - 59, Thane - 42, and Gadchiroli - 27, total 7,751, according to the SEC chief.