A dramatic and controversial surge in unopposed victories has marked the ongoing municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra, breaking sharply from historical trends and triggering a major political dispute. The number of candidates elected without a contest has skyrocketed to 69 in the current polls, a figure that dwarfs the 10 and 11 unopposed wins recorded in the two preceding election cycles.
A Stark Break from the Past
Historical data reveals that unopposed victories were once a rarity in Maharashtra's urban civic polls, which are typically characterized by intense, multi-cornered contests at the ward level. In the elections held between 2004 and 2009, only 10 candidates won unopposed, with the Congress-NCP alliance, then in power in the state, accounting for seven of those seats. The trend continued in the 2009-2013 cycle, with 11 unopposed wins spread across various parties including the NCP, Congress, Shiv Sena, and BJP.
The current scenario presents a stark contrast. Even before the scheduled polling on January 15, 2026, a total of 69 candidates have been declared elected without a vote being cast. This accounts for roughly two percent of the total seats, but the political concentration of these wins has drawn intense scrutiny. All but one of these uncontested victories have gone to the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Ruling Alliance Dominates Uncontested Seats
A party-wise breakdown shows the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the biggest beneficiary, securing 44 seats unopposed. Its ally, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, follows with 22 such wins, and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has two. Only one seat was won uncontested by an independent party, the Malegaon-based Islam Party.
The phenomenon is geographically concentrated as well. The Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), which is the home turf of Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan, recorded the highest number of walkovers with 22 seats decided without a contest. Similarly, in Jalgaon, the home district of Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan, 12 candidates from the ruling alliance—six each from the BJP and Shiv Sena—were elected unopposed following last-minute withdrawals of nomination.
Allegations, Denials, and Official Scrutiny
The sharp spike has fueled allegations from opposition parties, who claim that candidates were forcibly pressured or persuaded to withdraw their nominations at the eleventh hour. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, speaking at a joint manifesto launch with MNS chief Raj Thackeray for the Mumbai polls, urged the State Election Commission (SEC) to cancel the results in the 68 wards where the ruling alliance won uncontested. He argued that such outcomes rob voters, particularly first-time and young electors, of their fundamental right to choose.
The ruling alliance has firmly rejected these charges, asserting that the withdrawals are a testament to their political strength and the lack of a credible challenge from opponents. In response to the criticism, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the alliance would stand by its victories, confident that the "people's mandate" would prevail even if the matter is taken to court.
Caught in the crossfire, the State Election Commission (SEC) has announced that it will examine the cases. The Commission has directed local officials to submit detailed reports from the wards where candidates were elected unopposed to ascertain the circumstances behind the withdrawals.
This controversy unfolds against a broader trend of narrowing electoral contests in the state's civic polls. Despite an increase in the number of municipal corporations from 22 in 2000 to 29 now, the total number of candidates contesting has seen a sharp decline in this election cycle, dropping to 15,931 from over 17,400 in the previous rounds.
