Voting for Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal polls on Sunday

Kolhapur: Voting for the Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal (ABMCM) elections will be held across 12 centres in Maharashtra on Sunday, June 7, marking the first election in nine years, with 3,403 eligible members set to decide leadership for 17 seats.

A total of 44 candidates are in the fray, including 14 each from the two main panels — the ‘Samarth Panel’ led by former president Meghraj Raje Bhosale and the ‘Chitrakarmi Panel’ led by Satish Randive and Anand Kale — along with 16 independent candidates, setting the stage for a closely contested battle.

The election assumes significance as several key administrative and policy decisions have remained pending due to the absence of polls over the past nine years. Stakeholders across the Marathi film industry, including artists, producers, directors and technicians, are closely watching the outcome, which is expected to shape the organisation’s future direction and address long-standing industry concerns.

Campaigning has intensified over the past 10 days, with both panels and independent candidates aggressively reaching out to voters through social media, meetings, and interactive sessions.

Returning Officer Ragini Khadke said, “The election machinery was sent to the polling centres on Saturday. The centres in five districts of Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur and Nashik will be open from 7am to 5pm. The counting of votes will take place on June 8.”

With high stakes and prolonged anticipation, the election is being viewed as a crucial reset moment for the Mahamandal and the wider Marathi film fraternity.