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Indian Stock Markets Closed for Maharashtra Civic Polls, Resume Friday

Indian stock exchanges, the BSE and NSE, remained closed on Thursday due to a public holiday declared for municipal corporation elections across Maharashtra. Trading is scheduled to resume on Friday. In the previous session, benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower, dragged down by selling pressure in IT and realty stocks amid broader geopolitical and trade uncertainties. However, broader smallcap and midcap indices managed to close in positive territory.

Key Points: Indian Stock Markets Closed Jan 15 for Maharashtra Civic Elections

  • Markets closed for Maharashtra civic polls
  • Trading resumes Friday
  • Sensex, Nifty fell in previous session
  • IT, realty stocks faced pressure
  • Broader smallcap, midcap indices gained
2 min read

Indian stock markets remain closed for Maharashtra civic elections

BSE, NSE closed Thursday for Maharashtra municipal elections. Trading resumes Friday after markets ended lower Wednesday amid IT, realty sell-off.

"Market sentiment continued to be influenced by persistent foreign institutional selling and heightened geopolitical and trade-related uncertainties - Analysts"

Mumbai, Jan 15

The Indian stock markets remain closed on Thursday on account of municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra.

In an earlier notification, the BSE said there will be no trading in the equity segment, equity derivatives, commodity derivatives, and electronic gold receipts on that day. It also said that equity derivative contracts originally scheduled to expire on January 15, 2026, expired a day earlier. These revisions will be reflected in the end-of-day contract master files.

The NSE also said that January 15 will be a trading holiday in both the capital market and futures and options segments.

The decision follows the Maharashtra government's declaration of a public holiday on January 15 to ensure the smooth conduct of elections in 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in Mumbai.

Trading on the NSE and the BSE will resume on Friday.

On Wednesday, domestic stock markets ended lower after a highly volatile trading session, as losses in IT and realty stocks weighed on investor sentiment. Rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainty surrounding the US-India trade deal also capped any meaningful recovery during the day.

Sensex slipped 0.29 per cent, or 244.98 points, to close at 83,382.71, while Nifty ended 0.26 per cent, or 66.70 points, lower at 25,665.60.

Broader markets performed better than the frontline indices. The Nifty SmallCap 100 index rose 0.67 per cent, while the Nifty MidCap 100 index settled 0.29 per cent higher. On the sectoral front, IT and realty stocks faced selling pressure, with the Nifty IT index falling 1.08 per cent and the Nifty Realty index declining 0.92 per cent.

Market sentiment continued to be influenced by persistent foreign institutional selling and heightened geopolitical and trade-related uncertainties, which kept overall risk appetite subdued.

Although there was some early optimism around key support levels and progress in trade discussions, the absence of sustained follow-through and broader macro uncertainty led to a cautious, stock-specific trading environment, said analysts.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
While I understand the need for a holiday, it does disrupt the trading week. For retail investors like me who track daily movements, it's a bit frustrating. Couldn't they have done electronic voting or something to avoid market closure? Just a thought.
A
Aman W
BMC elections are crucial for Mumbai's future. If the market has to take a one-day break for better civic governance, it's a small price to pay. Hope the voter turnout is good! The volatility before the holiday was expected anyway.
S
Sarah B
Interesting to see how Indian markets plan around local events. In other countries, markets might stay open. But the reasoning makes sense – you want maximum participation in civic polls. The mid and small caps holding up is a positive sign for broader market health.
V
Vikram M
This is standard procedure. Markets close for major state elections too. It prevents any potential volatility from low liquidity if too many brokers/staff are away voting. Better to have a clean break and resume fresh on Friday. Chalo, use the day to review your portfolio!
K
Kavya N
The real concern is the FII selling and global uncertainty mentioned in the article. One holiday is fine, but we need stability in policies to attract long-term investment. Hope the new civic bodies work on improving infrastructure, which ultimately helps the economy. 🙏

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