With just 12 days left until the 29 Municipal Corporation elections in Maharashtra, the State Election Commission (SEC) has launched a high-level inquiry into the “unopposed” election of 69 candidates across the state. The SEC is looking into reports submitted by District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners to verify the legitimacy of these wins.
The SEC’s intervention comes after opposition parties, including the Congress, Janata Dal (S), and AAP, raised serious allegations. Candidates in Mumbai’s Colaba Ward ‘A’ claimed they were unlawfully prevented from filing nominations or were coerced to withdraw. The SEC has instructed the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner to review CCTV footage to investigate these claims.
Reports are being gathered from Returning Officers, Municipal Commissioners, and Police Commissioners following the withdrawal deadline on January 2. The SEC has stated that the official announcement of election results for BMC seats will be withheld until the investigation is concluded.
While the BJP has the highest number of unopposed candidates at 44 out of 69, the SEC’s scrutiny is crucial given the allegations and the significant number of uncontested seats. The elections for municipal corporations, including BMC, are set for January 15 with counting on January 16.
