Maharashtra civic polls: 68 Mahayuti candidates elected unopposed, including 44 of BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Mahayuti allies have secured 68 seats unopposed in the Maharashtra civic polls scheduled for January 15, even as Opposition parties alleged that the ruling alliance used threats and money to force rival candidates to withdraw from the contest.

Across the state, a total of 68 candidates from the BJP and the Mahayuti alliance were elected unopposed, BJP leader Keshav Upadhye said on Friday. He said the outcome reflected the party’s growing presence in urban local bodies.

Of the 68 candidates, 44 belong to the BJP. The highest number of unopposed BJP wins came from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district. This was followed by Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule, Jalgaon and Ahilyanagar.

In Pune, BJP candidates Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap were elected unopposed from ward number 35 after their opponents withdrew their nomination forms. The two had earlier represented the ward between 2017 and 2022.

Reacting to the developments, Union minister and senior BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol said the next mayor of Pune would be from his party.

“We have a target of 125 seats, out of which we have already won two, so 123 are remaining. Two seats were won unopposed. This is a certificate for our party’s good governance,” Mohol said.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena saw 22 of its candidates elected unopposed, while two candidates from Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured unopposed victories.

BJP leaders attributed the trend to the popularity of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and what they described as the successful electoral strategy of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan. They said these factors had helped the party emerge as a dominant force not only in municipal councils but also in major municipal corporations.

Opposition parties, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), alleged that the ruling alliance used money and pressure tactics to compel Opposition candidates to withdraw from the elections.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, in a post on X, claimed that returning officers had been instructed to accept withdrawals of nomination papers until late at night. He said these withdrawals were treated as if they had been submitted before the 3 pm deadline on Friday.

“A friend of mine, who is in this election process, said this (accepting the form beyond 3 pm) would not be appropriate. He was told by the guardian minister, in a tone that sounded both a request and as a threat, that he should listen to what the local MLA says,” Raut said.

“This is mobocracy in the name of democracy. One day, there will be a public uprising like in Bangladesh and Nepal,” he added.

The Shiv Sena claimed on Friday that five of its candidates had been elected unopposed to the 131-member Thane Municipal Corporation.

Separately, the BJP said six of its candidates were elected unopposed following the scrutiny of nomination papers for the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) polls in Thane district.

An official said on Thursday that three Shiv Sena candidates and one BJP candidate were declared elected unopposed after scrutiny of nomination papers for the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation polls in Thane district.

MNS leader Avinash Jadhav questioned the conduct of the elections, saying, “Why do you hold polls if you want to win them before voting. Both the ruling parties should distribute it amongst themselves. Democracy has ended in India and the state. They chose weak candidates of the opposition and got their work done.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant also accused the ruling parties of exerting pressure on Opposition candidates to ensure unopposed victories.

(With inputs from agencies)