BMC Elections: 68 Mahayuti Candidates Win Unopposed Before Voting; BJP Alone Accounts for 44; Election Commission to Investigate

Mumbai: Ahead of the municipal elections in Maharashtra on January 15, the BJP and its Mahayuti alliance partners have won 68 seats unopposed. This includes 44 candidates from the BJP, 22 from the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and two from Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s faction. Meanwhile, the State Election Commission has sought reports from the municipal bodies where candidates from the ruling parties were elected unopposed.

68 Mahayuti Candidates Elected Unopposed
Friday was the last day for withdrawal of nominations in 29 municipal corporations of Maharashtra. BJP state spokesperson Keshav Upadhyay said late Friday evening that 68 candidates from the BJP and the Mahayuti alliance have been elected unopposed, reflecting the party’s growing strength and popularity in the municipal elections.

44 BJP Candidates Win Unopposed
Keshav Upadhyay said that the unopposed candidates include 44 from the BJP, with the highest number of 15 candidates from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district, while 6 Shiv Sena candidates also won unopposed from there. This is followed by Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule, Jalgaon, and Ahilyanagar. The opposition has leveled serious allegations regarding the large number of ruling party candidates winning unopposed.

State Election Commission to Investigate
The Election Commission has decided to investigate whether any pressure was exerted on opposition candidates to withdraw their nominations or if they were offered any inducements to ensure unopposed victories.

Mahayuti’s Election Preparations
Notably, on December 29, the Mahayuti finalized the seat-sharing formula for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections. According to this agreement, the BJP will contest 137 seats, while the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) will field candidates in 90 seats.