Ahead of the statewide local body elections scheduled for December 2, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has drawn sharp attention after claiming an unusually high number of uncontested victories. Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan has said that 100 BJP councillors have already been elected unopposed across municipal councils and nagar panchayats, along with three municipal council presidents, even before the polling has taken place.
Chavan credited what he described as strong organisational backing under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. According to him, the unopposed councillors include 49 from north Maharashtra, 41 from western Maharashtra, four from the Konkan region, and three each from Marathwada and Vidarbha.
Elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats will be held on December 2, with counting of votes scheduled on December 3, making this the largest civic election exercise in the State in nearly a decade.
However, the build-up to the polls has been overshadowed by a political row over the manner in which these uncontested wins have come about. Opposition parties have accused the BJP of engineering withdrawals of rival candidates, alleging misuse of administrative machinery and political pressure.
In Jamner, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan’s wife, Sadhana Mahajan, was elected unopposed as council president following the withdrawal of Congress and NCP candidates. Similarly, in Dhule district, Marketing Minister Jaykumar Rawal’s mother, Nayan Kunwar Rawal, won without a contest after an opposing nomination was rejected.
Another high-profile case involves Alhad Kaloti, cousin of Chief Minister Fadnavis, who secured an unopposed victory in Chikhaldara. Opposition MLA Yashomati Thakur has alleged intimidation and inducements to facilitate withdrawals.
Opposition leaders claim that dynastic politics has now penetrated grassroots-level institutions. The BJP has strongly denied these allegations, asserting that the uncontested wins represent voter confidence.
