No Campaign, No Contest: Mahayuti Secures 69 Unopposed Seats in Maharashtra Municipal Polls

An unusually high number of candidates from Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti alliance have been elected unopposed in the upcoming municipal corporation elections, triggering sharp reactions from opposition parties and prompting an official probe by the State Election Commission.

With 29 civic bodies going to polls and alliances cutting across traditional rivalries, the local elections are shaping up to be among the most complex and contentious in recent years.

Ruling alliance candidates dominate unopposed tally

As many as 68 candidates from the three ruling parties have been left without challengers after the withdrawal deadline ended on Friday. An additional candidate from the Islam Party in Malegaon has also secured an unopposed victory, taking the overall figure to 69.

Across the state, 2,869 seats are being contested. Of these, 44 candidates belong to the BJP, 22 to the Shiv Sena, and two to the NCP, all part of the Mahayuti alliance. The withdrawals have raised eyebrows due to their scale and timing, particularly in a multi-cornered electoral contest.

KDMC and Jalgaon emerge as key flashpoints

The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation has recorded the highest number of uncontested winners, with 22 candidates facing no opposition. This civic body is located in the home turf of Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan. Of the 122 seats in KDMC, 15 BJP candidates and seven Shiv Sena candidates have secured clear wins.

Jalgaon follows closely, where 12 ruling alliance candidates have been elected unopposed. Six are from the BJP and six from the Shiv Sena. Notably, all candidates who withdrew nominations against Sena contenders in Jalgaon belong to the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray.

Similar trends were reported in Panvel and Pune. In Panvel Municipal Corporation, six BJP candidates were left uncontested after Congress, PWP and Shiv Sena nominees withdrew. In Pune, two BJP candidates, Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap, are now unopposed following withdrawals by Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) candidates.

Opposition alleges coercion and misuse of money power

Opposition parties have accused the ruling alliance of engineering these outcomes through pressure and inducements. A leader from the Sena (UBT) in Jalgaon said, "We have taken utmost care to ensure that our candidates are not pressured or fall prey to inducements. The ruling alliance has been trying everything possible to force opponents to withdraw."

Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray alleged financial influence, stating, "The power of money is being misused to force opponents to withdraw."

His party colleague Sanjay Raut claimed returning officers were also being targeted. He alleged the ruling parties were pressuring officials to "unlawfully prevent" opposition candidates from filing their nominations.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshavardhan Sakpal said the civic elections were being "flooded by complaints" and accused the ruling parties of undermining the expectation of free and fair polls.

BJP rejects charges as SEC orders investigation

The BJP has firmly dismissed all allegations. Party spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said opposition candidates withdrew because they recognised their poor electoral prospects.

"It is the result of the popularity of our government and the strategy in the election. Also, due to our success in the first phase of the local body polls, the opposition has realised they cannot win in the second phase. They have pre-empted the municipal corporation results and withdrew from the fray," he claimed.

Upadhye also rejected claims of misuse of power, saying, "This is not possible in hi-tech elections, when everybody has all types of means to expose wrongdoing. The accusations are meant to cover up their bad performance."

Amid the political blame game, the State Election Commission has ordered an investigation by three state authorities. An SEC official said, "It is true that the number of unopposed candidates is unprecedented. The returning officers, municipal commissioners and police commissioners will be asked to submit reports on these wards to check if coercive practices were used or allurements were given for withdrawal."

The official added that a direct comparison with previous elections was not possible, as the 29 municipal corporations had not gone to polls simultaneously in the past.