100 unopposed victories in Maharashtra local body polls: BJP

“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 of withdrawing nominations.

According to Chavan, out of 100, four are from the coastal Konkan region, 49 from north Maharashtra, 41 from western Maharashtra, and three each from Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

Opposition Nationalist Congress Party (SP) slammed the BJP over unopposed elections. “I have no issue with unopposed elections, but one wonders how only BJP members get elected unopposed. We expect that democracy is not strangled using money, muscle and power,” he said.

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

In several instances, candidates against BJP withdrew at the last moment. Several relatives of senior BJP leaders, including ministers Girish Mahajan and Jaykumar Rawal, have been elected unopposed in local bodies.

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.

Alhad Kaloti, a cousin of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in the Chikhaldara municipal council was elected unopposed. Congress leader Yashomati Thakur from Amaravati district had alleged intimidation to ensure the withdrawal of competing candidates.