Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Monday approached the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) urging the poll body to stay the results of the candidates elected unopposed Thane municipal corporation and other civic bodies in the state. MNS leader Avinash Jadhav led a party delegation and met the SEC, demanding a thorough investigation.
Jadhav, who is MNS's Thane and Palghar district president, said the investigation must be conducted by a high-level joint committee, which should comprise former judges and senior police officers. The party has alleged large-scale irregularities in the Thane Municipal Corporation elections.
"Opposition candidates, including those from MNS, were either lured with money or their nomination papers were rejected through fraudulent means by misusing government machinery. This resulted in candidates of the ruling Shiv Sena (Shinde group) being elected unopposed, which is a serious blow to democracy," the party has alleged.
Mahayuti's win on 68 seats without a single vote being cast
The elections to all municipal corporations in Maharashtra will take place on January 15 and the counting of votes will take place on January 16. Friday (January 2) was the last date of withdrawal of nominations, and once it ended, 68 Mahayuti candidates were elected unopposed. The Mahayuti includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Of the 68 Mahayuti candidates who won unopposed, 44 were from the BJP, 22 from the Shiv Sena and two from the NCP. However, the poll body ordered a probe on Saturday (January 3) following allegations of irregularities.
Sena-UBT's allegations
Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena-UBT also made a similar allegations, demanding a probe. It must be noted that the Sena-UBT and the MNS have formed an alliance for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
"A friend of mine, who is in this election process, said this (accepting the form beyond 3 pm) would not be appropriate. He was told by the guardian minister, in a tone that sounded both a request and as a threat, that he should listen to what the local MLA says," Shiv Sena-UBT leader Sanjay Raut had posted on X.
