Maharashtra Civic Polls: Raj Thackeray's MNS Moves Bombay HC Against ‘Unopposed’ Mahayuti Wins
The plea before the Bombay HC alleged that the SEC had ordered a probe into around 68 candidates declared elected unopposed in several municipal corporations.
Published : January 5, 2026 at 5:12 PM IST
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court on Monday seeking a court-monitored probe into the unopposed election of 68 corporators for the municipal polls in the state.
The plea alleged that the opposition candidates were forced to withdraw their nominations en masse through political pressure, intimidation, and the distribution of money. “Withdrawal of rival candidates was not voluntary but was the result of systemic coercion, threats, or illegal allurements, violating the ‘free and fair’ mandate of Article 243-ZA of the Constitution,” it claimed.
Most ruling party candidates elected unopposed were in the Kalyan-Dombivli, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Jalgaon, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The opposition alleged that in many places, opposition candidates were forced to withdraw due to pressure.
The petition claimed that the Returning Officers (ROs) of the respective municipal corporation wards violated the orders by the SEC mandating that the results of unopposed elections must not be officially declared until an inquiry into the “coercive withdrawals.”
“After failing to receive any concrete relief, even after appealing to the commission, the MNS decided to approach the court through advocate Asim Sarode as a last resort in this matter. We have sought a stay on the official declaration of results,” MNS leader Avinash Jadhav said.
The MNS also submitted a letter of protest to the State Election Commission (SEC) regarding this matter. Jadhav and another leader, Sandeep Deshpande, met with the SEC Dinesh Waghmare and submitted a letter protesting against the unopposed election of the candidates.
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