Indian stock markets remain closed for Maharashtra civic elections
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.
