Independent Candidates Face Steep Decline in Maharashtra Municipal Elections
The political landscape in Maharashtra's municipal corporations has shifted dramatically over the past decade. Independent candidates find it increasingly difficult to secure victories as more political parties and alliances emerge. These parties now provide ample opportunities for their own workers to contest elections, squeezing out non-aligned individuals.
A Sharp Drop in Independent Wins
Data from recent election cycles reveals a clear downward trend. Between February 2009 and December 2013, voters elected 178 independent candidates as corporators across the state. That number fell sharply to just 89 independents during the period from February 2015 to December 2018.
The most recent elections in January 2026 delivered the starkest picture yet. Across 29 municipal corporations, with a total of 2,869 corporator seats, only 19 independent candidates managed to win without any political backing.
Geographic Spread of the Few Remaining Independents
Among the 29 municipal bodies, Parbhani Corporation saw the highest number of independent victories, with four such candidates becoming corporators. Chandrapur followed with two independent winners.
A single independent candidate won in each of the following corporations:
- Thane
- Navi-Mumbai
- Ulhasnagar
- Mira-Bhayandar
- Panvel
- Nashik
- Dhule
- Jalgaon
- Pimpri-Chinchwad
- Nanded Waghala
- Akola
- Jalna
Analyst Points to a Democratic Downturn
Political analyst and lawyer Anil Ghatge interprets this trend as a significant challenge for democracy. He states that winning as an independent candidate is no longer an easy feat.
"The declining count of independent corporators highlights the downfall of democracy," Ghatge said. "Henceforth, political parties will ensure that no common man tries to contest the elections as an independent. All political parties are responsible for this."
He attributes the difficulty to the massive financial resources required for modern campaigning, which often includes distributing money to voters. This is a cost the average citizen simply cannot bear.
Ghatge urges party workers and common citizens to continue contesting elections to keep democratic spirit alive. He also notes that the large number of votes for NOTA (None of the Above) signifies widespread voter dissatisfaction with the candidates offered by political parties.
Notable Independent Campaigns Defy the Odds
Despite the overwhelming trend, some independent candidates mounted strong challenges against established political names.
In Kolhapur's Ward 7D, independent candidate Vijay Salokhe, popularly known as 'Sardar', faced Shiv Sena's Ruturaj Kshirsagar. Ruturaj is the son of state planning commission head MLA Rajesh Kshirsagar. Salokhe's campaign, run primarily through social media, was framed as 'Jan Shakti versus Dhan Shakti' (People's Power versus Money Power).
Although Salokhe lost, he secured a respectable 6,418 votes against Kshirsagar's 9,231 votes, a margin of 2,813.
"A common citizen received 6,418 votes, and I am thankful to all the voters," Salokhe said. "Even though I couldn't win, I will continue to serve people as a common man. I will continue to put forward the civic issues of society and make efforts to solve them."
A Rare Independent Victory in Nashik
In Nashik, former BJP corporator Mukesh Shahane presented a rare success story. Expelled from the BJP over a controversy regarding A-B form distribution, Shahane contested as an independent from Ward 29A, a seat reserved for the OBC category.
He defeated senior BJP politician Deepak Badgujar, son of Sudhakar Badgujar, by a significant margin. Shahane received 14,284 votes compared to Badgujar's 6,595 votes.
"Voters were not happy with the injustice done to me," Shahane said. "They showed how an independent can become victorious. Contesting as an independent and going against the party in power was not an easy task. Various measures were adopted by the opposition to defame me, but they went in vain."
These isolated instances of strong independent performance highlight the immense challenges faced by candidates without party backing in today's political arena. The data suggests a system increasingly dominated by organized political machines.
