Mumbai, Dec. 28 -- With elections to all 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra being held simultaneously, civic bodies are facing a severe shortage of staff for election-related duties. While the BMC has managed the situation due to its large workforce, smaller municipal corporations in MMR, which rely heavily on contractual staff, have sought assistance from district collectorates in Palghar, Thane and Raigad. In Palghar district, the collectorate has diverted its staff to support municipal corporations facing shortages. Officials said employees have been reassigned to election duties in the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar and Bhiwandi municipal corporations. In Thane, a senior officer of the collectorate said that the election process in Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Mira Bhayandar, Navi Mumbai, and Ulhasnagar will require 43,000 staff members. "All these municipal corporations are in the Thane district, yet there is still a shortage of staff," the officer said....