The State Election Commission (SEC) has delivered a significant blow to candidates who won unopposed in the Maharashtra municipal elections, ordering investigations into the unopposed elections in several municipal corporations across the state.
Mumbai: A major development has emerged amidst the ongoing municipal election process in Maharashtra. The State Election Commission (SEC) has ordered investigations into candidates who won unopposed in several municipal corporations. This move by the Commission is considered likely to stir up state politics, as a large number of candidates from the ruling Mahayuti alliance have been declared winners unopposed.
Which candidates will be investigated?
According to the State Election Commission, a thorough investigation will be conducted into the unopposed elections held in some metropolitan municipalities in Maharashtra. Available data indicates that a total of 68 candidates from the Mahayuti alliance won unopposed in these elections. These include
- 44 candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
- 22 candidates from the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and
- 2 candidates from the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction).
The Commission has clarified that the final announcement of the names of these unopposed winners will be made only after the completion of the investigation.
What is the reason for the investigation?
The Election Commission will investigate whether candidates coerced their rivals into withdrawing their nomination papers through pressure, fear, or inducement. The Commission suspects that opposition candidates may have been forced out of the race on some seats through political pressure or other unfair means. If irregularities are found during the investigation, the Election Commission may take further action, including steps such as canceling the unopposed victory.
Key figures related to the BMC election
A large number of candidates withdrew their nominations during the nomination process for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election.
- During the scrutiny, 167 nomination papers were declared invalid.
- 2,231 nomination papers were found to be valid.
- 453 candidates voluntarily withdrew their nomination papers.
After all these processes, a total of 1,700 candidates remain in the electoral arena for the BMC election.
Situation in Latur, Thane and Nagpur
Electoral activities are also gaining momentum in other municipal corporations. After the deadline for withdrawal of nominations expired in the Latur Municipal Corporation, 359 candidates remain in the fray. According to a senior official, a total of 649 candidates will contest the Thane Municipal Corporation election. Meanwhile, regarding the Nagpur Municipal Corporation election, the Congress has claimed that all 150 rebel candidates of the party have withdrawn their nominations.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has also claimed to have pacified its rebel candidates in Nagpur. According to the BJP, after talks with the party leadership, 96 rebel candidates withdrew their nomination papers. Dayashankar Tiwari, president of the Nagpur BJP unit, said that the decision was taken to maintain organizational discipline.
