Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday urged the State Election Commission to cancel results in 68 civic wards where ruling Mahayuti nominees were declared winners unopposed, saying uncontested victories effectively deny first-time and Gen Z voters their right to vote.
Speaking alongside MNS chief Raj Thackeray while unveiling their joint manifesto for the upcoming municipal polls, Uddhav warned that democracy must not be replaced by “mobocracy.” The former Maharashtra chief minister launched a sharp attack on the ruling Mahayuti government, alleging that since his administration was dislodged and Eknath Shinde assumed power in June 2022, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s wealth has been squandered on contractors.
Uddhav claimed that after “stealing votes,” the ruling parties are now “stealing candidates.” He demanded the suspension of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, accusing him of interfering in the nomination process and tampering with CCTV footage. Narwekar, a BJP MLA from Colaba, dismissed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
Raj Thackeray accused the BJP of double standards, pointing out that the party had approached the Supreme Court in similar cases in West Bengal, where ruling party candidates were elected unopposed in local polls. He urged the BJP to clarify its stance on the issue.
The controversy stems from 68 Mahayuti candidates, including 44 BJP nominees, winning uncontested in Maharashtra, largely due to the withdrawal of opponents or rebel candidates. Reacting to the criticism, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, at a roadshow in Chandrapur, said, “They can certainly go to court, but the people’s mandate has elected us. Even if opposition parties move the court, the people’s mandate will prevail.” He questioned why the opposition was silent on unopposed victories of independents and Muslim candidates, adding, “It is because they can see their defeat clearly and are now trying to find excuses.”
Referring to the January 15 elections to 29 municipal bodies, Uddhav said, “If the SEC has courage, it should cancel elections where candidates were chosen unopposed and initiate the poll process again in those wards.” He added that the unopposed wins deny voters, especially Gen Z, the opportunity to exercise their franchise.
Uddhav further alleged corruption in civic polls, claiming that if the BMC’s budget is Rs 15,000 crore, Rs 3 lakh crore is being funnelled to contractors in advance mobilisation, which he termed a “scam.” He accused the ruling party of using kickbacks to influence the elections.
Both Thackeray cousins highlighted the “sons-of-the-soil” issue as a key theme of the polls, particularly in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray emphasised that the mayor of Mumbai and other city leaders should be Marathi and that local language and culture must be respected. Warning the ruling dispensation, he said, “Power is not permanent,” and accused the BJP of setting a wrong precedent, asserting that the ruling party should not object if successors use similar tactics in a more refined manner.
A total of 15,931 candidates are contesting 2,869 seats across 893 wards in 29 municipal corporations. Except for Mumbai, which has 227 seats, the remaining are multi-member wards. Votes will be counted on January 16.
With PTI inputs