The BRICS TimesMahayuti parties face accusations of using pressure and lures after dozens of candidates secure seats without a contest in municipal elections.
Mahayuti Dominates Unopposed List
As many as 68 candidates from the state’s three main ruling parties in the Mahayuti alliance could win without a fight. These crucial elections cover 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra. Including one Islam Party candidate from Malegaon, the total reaches 69. In this complex contest, 2,869 seats are available. Currently, 44 BJP, 22 Shiv Sena, and two NCP candidates have no rivals. One Islam Party candidate in Malegaon also stands alone.
Opposition Alleges Foul Play
The final numbers emerged on Friday, the last day for withdrawing nominations. Opposition parties are now crying foul. They allege the BJP, Sena, and NCP intimidated rivals or forced them to quit. Some claim the ruling parties used inducements to make opponents withdraw at the last minute. Due to this high number, the State Election Commission (SEC) has issued a freeze. It told officers not to announce winners until an investigation ends.
High Stakes in Home Turfs
These polls are the most fractured in state history. Allies are fighting each other while old foes have become partners. The Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has the most unopposed candidates at 22. This is the hometown of BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. In Jalgaon, 12 candidates have no rivals. This is the home district of minister Girish Mahajan. In KDMC, 15 BJP and 7 Sena candidates face no opposition.
Withdrawals in Major Cities
In Panvel, six BJP candidates are now rival-less after Congress and PWP nominees withdrew. In the 165-seat Pune Municipal Corporation, two BJP candidates have a clear field. Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap are unopposed because Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) rivals quit. Jalgaon sees 12 ruling party candidates without opponents. Six are from BJP and six from Sena. Notably, all six who withdrew against the Sena belong to Sena (UBT).
Sena (UBT) and Congress React
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) has moved some candidates to other districts for safety. “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,” a Jalgaon leader stated. Aaditya Thackeray accused the alliance of strong-arming the process. “The power of money is being misused to force opponents to withdraw,” he alleged.
BJP Defends Its Position
Sanjay Raut claimed officials are being pressured to block opposition filings. Maharashtra Congress chief Harshavardhan Sakpal said complaints of power misuse are flooding in. However, BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye dismissed these claims. He said rivals quit because they knew they would lose. “It is the result of the popularity of our government and the strategy in the election,” he claimed. He added that accusations only hide the opposition’s poor performance.
SEC Launches Formal Probe
The State Election Commission has now started an investigation involving three state authorities. “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,” an official said. There is no historical data for comparison since these corporations never voted simultaneously before.
