Maharashtra Declares Paid Holiday Today, December 2: Here's Why

The Maharashtra government has announced a paid public holiday on December 2, 2025, for employees residing in areas where civic body elections are being conducted. According to the official Government Resolution (GR), all eligible voters living within designated polling zones must be granted paid leave to ensure maximum voter turnout.

Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi clarified that the holiday applies only to rural pockets where elections are scheduled. “On December 2, there will be a public holiday primarily in rural areas of the 18 local bodies and not in the cities,” he said. Urban regions under Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) are excluded, as no elections are being held there.

Who Gets the Holiday?

The GR clearly states that residence, not workplace location, determines eligibility. This means:

• Citizens living in polling jurisdictions but working in non-polling urban areas are entitled to a paid holiday.
• Employers must grant leave or adjust working hours to allow voting.

What Will Be Closed or Operational?

All establishments governed by the Labour Department must comply, including:

• Factories
• Shops and commercial outlets
• Hotels and malls
• IT companies
• Other private workplaces

These units are required to close or modify schedules to enable employees to vote.

Essential services and 24×7 operations are exempt from mandatory closure, but must provide 2–3 hours of time-off if a full-day holiday cannot be granted.

Officials also warned that action will be taken if any complaints arise regarding denial of paid leave on polling day.

Elections and Result Date

This marks the first phase of the long-delayed local body elections, covering 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats. Vote counting for the 18 bodies in Pune district will be held on December 3, when final results are expected to be announced.