Mumbai, Jan 3: The BJP led Mahayuti alliance has gained a significant early edge in the Maharashtra civic elections, with 68 candidates being elected unopposed ahead of polling scheduled for January 15, party leaders said on Friday.
Of the 68 uncontested seats, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounts for 44, followed by 22 won by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and two by Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The results came after several rival candidates withdrew their nominations at the close of the withdrawal window.
The highest number of unopposed BJP wins was reported from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district. Other urban local bodies where BJP candidates secured uncontested victories include Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule, Jalgaon and Ahilyanagar.
In Pune, BJP candidates Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap were elected unopposed from Ward No. 35 after their opponents withdrew from the fray. Both had earlier represented the same ward during the 2017–2022 term.
BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said the unopposed wins reflected the party’s growing footprint in urban local bodies across the state. “Across the state, as many as 68 candidates from the BJP and the Mahayuti have been elected unopposed, reflecting the party’s growing strength in urban local bodies,” he said.
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol described the developments as an endorsement of the party’s governance and expressed confidence about the mayoral race in Pune. “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,” Mohol said, adding that the next Mayor of Pune would be from the BJP.
Party leaders attributed the trend to the popularity of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the electoral strategy steered by state BJP president Ravindra Chavan, which they said had strengthened the party’s position in both municipal councils and major civic corporations.
However, the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) alleged that the unopposed victories undermined democratic processes. Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi accused the ruling alliance of pressuring opposition candidates. “The unopposed way of ending democracy is where they settle with the opposition candidates, either by scaring them with threats of ED, CBI or by bribing them,” she said, also criticising the Election Commission for remaining silent.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the politically crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are scheduled for January 15, with counting to be held on January 16.
