The Bharatiya Janata Party announced that 100 of its councillors were elected unopposed in upcoming municipal council and nagar panchayat elections across Maharashtra. Party leaders credited the wins to strong leadership, while opposition figures raised concerns over the process. Polling is set for December 2, with results the following day.
Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan stated on Friday that 100 party councillors had secured unopposed elections to various municipal councils and nagar panchayats ahead of the December 2 polls. This announcement came on the final day for withdrawing nominations. Chavan highlighted three additional unopposed victories for BJP candidates as municipal council presidents.
The distribution of these unopposed seats spans the state: four in the coastal Konkan region, 49 in north Maharashtra, 41 in western Maharashtra, and three each in Marathwada and Vidarbha. Chavan attributed the success to the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, noting that such outcomes occurred even before voting began.
Elections cover 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats, with vote counting scheduled for December 3. However, the unopposed wins drew criticism from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction). A party spokesperson remarked, “I have no issue with unopposed elections, but one wonders how only BJP members get elected unopposed. We expect that democracy is not strangled using money, muscle and power.”
Specific cases involved relatives of senior BJP figures. In Jamner, Sadhana Mahajan, wife of Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan, became municipal council president unopposed after a Congress nominee and two NCP candidates withdrew. In Dhule district's Dondaicha-Varwade, Nayan Kunwar Rawal, mother of Marketing Minister Jaykumar Rawal, won similarly; the opposition candidate's nomination was rejected, with claims of ministerial pressure. Alhad Kaloti, cousin of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also secured an unopposed seat in Chikhaldara municipal council amid allegations of intimidation against rivals, as raised by Congress leader Yashomati Thakur.
These developments underscore ongoing political dynamics in Maharashtra's local governance ahead of the polls.