Maharashtra local body elections: BJP claims 100 councillors won unopposed days ahead of polling

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP President Ravindra Chavan has claimed an unopposed election of 100 councillors of the ruling party in municipal councils and nagar panchayats across the state in the run-up to local body polls.

He said three candidates were elected unopposed as the presidents of municipal councils.

"Due to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as many as 100 BJP councillors have been elected unopposed even before the actual polling,” Chavan said on Friday, the last day for the withdrawal of nominations.

Among the 100 councillors, four are from the coastal Konkan region, 49 from north Maharashtra, 41 from western Maharashtra, and three each from Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

Elections to 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats are scheduled for December 2, and votes will be counted on December 3.

However, the run-up to the electoral contest is dominated by the victories of relatives of some BJP leaders without contest, with a common template- opponents withdrawing from the fray.

Several relatives of senior BJP leaders, including ministers Girish Mahajan and Jaykumar Rawal, have been elected unopposed in local bodies.

Opposition parties have alleged that the BJP’s tradition of dynastic politics has now reached grassroots-level polls and that pressure was put on the police machinery to ensure unopposed wins for relatives of leaders.

In Jamner, Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan’s wife, Sadhana Mahajan, was elected unopposed to the post of municipal council president after Congress nominee Rupali Lalwani and two NCP candidates withdrew from the fray.

Marketing Minister Jaykumar Rawal’s mother, Nayan Kunwar Rawal, was elected as president of the Dondaicha-Varwade municipal council in Dhule district without contest after Opposition candidate Sharyu Bhavsar’s nomination was rejected.

Bhavsar alleged that the nomination was rejected under pressure from the minister.

Another prominent uncontested victory is of Alhad Kaloti, a cousin of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in the Chikhaldara municipal council.

Congress leader Yashomati Thakur from Amaravati district had alleged intimidation and inducements to ensure the withdrawal of competing candidates.

Several relatives of ministers, MLAs and MPs, including Labour Minister Aakash Fundkar, Textiles Minister Sanjay Savkare, Minister Ashok Uike, former MP Ramdas Tadas, MLA Mangesh Chavan and MLA Prakash Bharsakle, are either in the fray or have already been elected unopposed for posts in local civic bodies.