MUMBAI: Following allegations that coercive methods were used by the ruling parties to secure unopposed victories in civic body elections, the Maharashtra State Election Commission has sought detailed reports from the respective district collectors on the matter.
In the elections to 29 municipal corporations, as many as 70 candidates from ruling parties were elected unopposed. Of these, 44 candidates belong to the BJP, 22 to the Shiv Sena, and two to the NCP. Notably, all unopposed candidates are from ruling parties, with none from the opposition.
The Election Commission has directed district collectors to submit reports on the allegations surrounding the withdrawal of nominations and unopposed elections. These reports will examine whether candidates were forced to withdraw through threats or inducements. The Commission has stated that appropriate action will be taken after reviewing the findings.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut strongly criticised the developments, calling them a “betrayal of democracy”. He alleged that the people’s fundamental right to vote had been taken away through criminal acts such as offering large sums of money and threatening to reopen closed police cases against political opponents.
“Even leaders like Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were not elected unopposed. What is happening in Maharashtra is unacceptable. This is the murder of democracy in broad daylight,” Raut alleged.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also levelled serious allegations, claiming that in Solapur, one of its leaders was murdered after opposing attempts by BJP candidates to get elected unopposed.
Among the 44 BJP candidates elected unopposed, the highest number, 15, are from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Six candidates each are from Panvel, Jalgaon and Bhiwandi, four from Dhule, three from Ahilya Nagar, and two each from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
In the case of the Shiv Sena, 22 candidates were elected unopposed. Seven each are from Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s strongholds of Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli, six from Jalgaon Municipal Corporation, and two from Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation.