68 seats of unopposed contest in the possession of Mahayuti alliance

Mumbai, Jan 3 (UNI) The Maharashtra State Election Commission has ordered a thorough probe into the cases of 69 candidates who were declared elected unopposed in 29 municipal corporations in the state. The action comes in the wake of widespread complaints that surfaced after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations on Jan 3, 2026. In an extraordinary measure, the Commission has also directed that these unopposed candidates should not be formally declared winners until the probe is completed, which means the candidates are considered elected but their victory will not be officially confirmed.

According to official figures, out of the 69 seats won unopposed, 68 have gone to the ruling MahaYuti alliance, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagging 44, Shiv Sena 22, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) two, while one independent candidate has also been elected unopposed. The Election Commission's intervention comes after serious allegations were leveled by opposition parties, including the Congress, Janata Dal (S), and Aam Aadmi Party. The opposition parties have alleged that the ruling alliance's candidates used organized pressure, threats, and financial lure to force opposing candidates to withdraw their nomination forms before the deadline of Jan 2.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation, are scheduled to be held on Jan 15, 2026, and the counting of votes will take place on Jan 16, 2026. The unopposed wins are concentrated in a few specific municipal corporations, with the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation being the most notable, where 22 out of 122 seats were won unopposed, accounting for nearly 18 percent of the total seats. This is followed by Jalgaon with 12, Thane with 7, and Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, and Ahmednagar with between 2 and 6 seats won unopposed.

According to Commission sources, the probe is mandatory under the existing electoral rules to verify that the withdrawals were not made under duress, financial lure, or any other coercion. In this regard, detailed reports have been sought from Returning Officers, Municipal Commissioners, Police Commissioners, and District Collectors. However, a major practical hurdle has also arisen due to the existing electoral laws, which do not allow new nominations to be filed or unopposed winners to be disqualified after the deadline of Jan 2. In such cases, the Commission can only take action against the responsible officers.

The allegations related to the Kurla constituency in Mumbai are being considered the most serious, where Assembly Speaker and BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar has been accused of multiple electoral irregularities. Aam Aadmi Party candidate Margaret D'Costa has alleged that she was present at the Returning Officer's office at 5 pm on Dec 30, before the scheduled time, and had completed all formalities, but was still prevented from filing her nomination. The party has claimed that the CCTV footage from the office can corroborate this.

Former MP and ex-MLA Hari Bhau Rathod has also filed a written complaint, alleging that Rahul Narwekar threatened him and contacted senior police officers to withdraw his security, despite having no authority to do so. On the same day, three members of Narwekar's family won unopposed from different wards. The State Election Commission has directed Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to review the CCTV footage from the Returning Officer's office and submit a detailed report on the allegations of interference.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has said that an Assembly Speaker himself going to file nominations for his family members is an unprecedented incident, which raises serious questions about electoral transparency. Social activist Anjali Damania has demanded an apology from Rahul Narwekar for misusing his constitutional post. Narwekar has dismissed all allegations, saying that all candidates present before the deadline were given an opportunity to file their nominations, and those leveling allegations arrived after the scheduled time.

In other parts of the state, opposition parties have also alleged that they were prevented from filing nominations. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has claimed that opposition candidates were forced to withdraw by being threatened with ED and CBI action or being bribed. In one incident in Nagpur, BJP workers were involved in forcibly confining their own candidate to his home, which was later resolved through party intervention.

The State Election Commission has clarified that it is taking the matter very seriously and the purpose of the probe is to safeguard the credibility of the electoral process and provide a basis for future reforms, although the Commission's powers are limited under the existing legal framework.