India, Nov. 5 -- The first phase of elections to local self-governing bodies will be held on December 2, covering 246 municipal councils that govern smaller cities, and 42 municipal panchayats, or town councils. That's 288 local bodies of a total 686 across the state.

The remaining two phases, for district councils and municipal corporations including Mumbai, are expected to be held in the last week of December and third week of January, respectively.

The schedule for the elections, considered a mini-assembly election, was announced by the State Election Commission (SEC) on Tuesday.

The SEC said there would be no revision of voters' lists, as demanded by opposition parties, or the use of Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). Voters...