EC seeks reports on alleged coercion in unopposed civic poll wins in Maharashtra
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The Maharashtra State Election Commission has sought detailed reports from district collectors after allegations surfaced that ruling parties used coercive tactics to ensure unopposed victories in recent civic body elections.
In polls held across 29 municipal corporations, around 70 candidates from parties in power were elected without contest. Of these, a majority—44—were from the BJP, followed by 22 from the Shiv Sena and two from the NCP. Significantly, none of the unopposed candidates belonged to opposition parties.
The Commission has asked collectors to examine the circumstances under which nominations were withdrawn and to report on claims that candidates were pressured through threats or inducements. It said further action would be considered after assessing the reports, TNIE reported.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut criticised the developments, describing them as an assault on democratic principles. He alleged that voters’ rights had been undermined through criminal methods such as monetary inducements and threats of reopening old police cases against rivals. Raut argued that even prominent leaders in the past like Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had not been elected unopposed and claimed that the situation in Maharashtra amounted to a blatant subversion of democracy.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also raised serious concerns, alleging that in Solapur, one of its leaders was killed after opposing efforts by BJP candidates to secure unopposed wins.
Among the BJP candidates elected unopposed, the largest number, 15, were from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, followed by six each from Panvel, Jalgaon and Bhiwandi, four from Dhule, three from Ahilya Nagar, and two each from Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
For the Shiv Sena, 22 candidates were elected unopposed, including seven each from Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s strongholds of Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli, six from Jalgaon Municipal Corporation, and two from Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation.