Nomination withdrawals across Maharashtra's civic bodies have handed the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance 68 unopposed wins ahead of the January 15 polls. The BJP secured 44 of these seats, with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena getting 22 and Ajit Pawar's NCP claiming two.
No votes were cast in parts of Maharashtra's civic polls as opponents withdrew nominations, allowing the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance to secure 68 unopposed seats ahead of the January 15 voting. BJP leader Keshav Upadhye stated on Friday (January 2, 2026) that 68 candidates from the BJP and Mahayuti were elected unopposed across the state, reflecting the party's growing strength in urban local bodies.
Of these, 44 belong to the BJP, with the highest number from Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district, followed by Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule, Jalgaon, and Ahilyanagar. In Pune's ward number 35, BJP candidates Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap were elected unopposed after their opponents withdrew nominations. The two had previously been elected from the ward between 2017 and 2022.
Hailing the wins, Union minister and senior BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol said, "We have a target of 125 seats out of which we have already won two, so 123 are remaining. Two seats were won unopposed. This is a certificate for our party's good governance." He claimed the next mayor of Pune would be from his party.
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena saw 22 candidates elected unopposed, while Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party secured two. BJP leaders attributed the trend to the popularity of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the successful electoral strategy of state unit president Ravindra Chavan, helping the BJP emerge as a dominant force in municipal councils and major corporations.
