Mumbai: Ahead of the January 15 Maharashtra urban local body elections, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has secured a major early advantage, with 68 seats already won unopposed, showing its strong grip over local bodies across the state.

The Mahayuti comprises the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). BJP leader Keshav Upadhye on Friday announced the unopposed victories, describing them as a major boost for the CM Devendra Fadnavis-led alliance ahead of polling. Of the 68 uncontested seats, 44 were won by the BJP, reflecting the party’s expanding footprint in urban local governance, a space traditionally dominated by regional parties.

In Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, Mahayuti candidates have taken a clear lead even before voting began. Following the conclusion of the nomination withdrawal process on Friday, candidates from opposition parties pulled out in several wards, resulting in 68 candidates being declared elected unopposed. Of these, 66 belong to the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance, 44 from the BJP and 22 from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, while two are from the NCP.

Among the BJP’s 44 uncontested wins, 15 came from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district, the highest concentration of such victories. Other BJP wins include six each from Bhiwandi, Jalgaon and Panvel municipal corporations, four from Dhule, three from Ahilyanagar and two each from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations.

Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saw 22 of its candidates elected unopposed, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP secured two such seats. Buoyed by these results, Union minister and senior BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol stated that the next mayor of Pune would be from the BJP.

These uncontested wins come on the heels of Mahayuti’s strong performance in the recently held municipal council elections and are expected to strengthen the alliance’s momentum further.

However, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has ordered an inquiry into reports of candidates being elected unopposed ahead of the January 15 polls. “We have asked all local authorities to submit reports. This is a routine process whenever nominations are withdrawn and only one candidate remains, The commission will examine whether any withdrawals were made under pressure, duress or inducement.

Earlier this week, Mahayuti finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 137 seats, while the Shiv Sena will field candidates in 90 seats.

According to the final figures released by election authorities, 1,700 candidates remain in the fray across BMC’s 227 wards after scrutiny and withdrawals. Of the total nominations filed, 2,231 were found valid, 167 were rejected and 453 candidates withdrew their nominations.

Mumbai: Mumbai experienced a crisp and relatively cool start to Saturday, giving residents a brief respite from the city’s usual humidity. Clear skies, mild winds and lower temperatures made the early hours pleasant. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature hovered around 19°C, while the maximum was expected to reach about 30°C, making it one of the more comfortable winter days of the season.

However, the pleasant weather concealed a persistent environmental concern. A thin layer of haze was visible across several parts of the city, indicating continued deterioration in air quality. Data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in showed Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 224 on Saturday morning, placing it in the ‘unhealthy’ category. Such levels pose health risks, particularly for children, senior citizens and people with respiratory ailments.

The sustained pollution is largely attributed to Mumbai’s ongoing infrastructure boom. Dust and fine particulate matter generated by major government projects, including metro rail corridors, coastal road construction, bridge works and extensive road-widening activities, continue to majorly impact air quality.

In addition, numerous private real estate developments across the city are adding to the pollution burden, especially during winter months when dry conditions allow dust to remain suspended in the air for longer periods.

Area-wise AQI readings revealed sharp contrasts across the city. Chembur emerged as the most polluted area, recording an alarming AQI of 327, categorised as ‘severe’. At such levels, even healthy individuals may experience breathing discomfort and other health effects.

Wadala East followed closely with an AQI of 326, while Santacruz East recorded 305, both also in the ‘severe’ category. Govandi and Jogeshwari reported ‘unhealthy’ AQI levels of 280 and 277, respectively, remaining dangerously close to the severe threshold.

Suburban areas fared slightly better, though air quality remained far from satisfactory. Andheri East recorded a ‘moderate’ AQI of 97, while Kandivali East and Powai stood at 120 and 163, both falling in the ‘poor’ category. Pollution levels were higher in other suburbs, with Borivali East registering an AQI of 170 and Goregaon East 177, categorised as ‘unhealthy’.

As per standard air quality classifications, AQI levels between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’, and readings above 300 fall under the ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’ category.

The Mumbai Municipal Corporation General Elections are a very important process of democracy and the responsibility of conducting them successfully, transparently and fairly lies with all the concerned central and state officers and employees. It is mandatory to record every action correctly and timely as per the rules during the period of the code of conduct. Discipline, peace and justice are the fundamental aspects of the election process and they should be strictly followed. Municipal Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani has given a stern warning that no kind of mistake, negligence or violation of rules will be tolerated. The election laws and guidelines should be strictly implemented at every stage. Shri Gagrani also informed that if these instructions are followed, the trust of the citizens in the administration will be strengthened. In connection with the Mumbai Municipal Corporation General Elections 2025-26, Municipal Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani held a meeting of the Chief Monitoring Committee today. The meeting held at the Municipal Corporation headquarters discussed in detail the preparations for the pre-elections, law and order, strict adherence to the code of conduct, the work of various flying squads and monitoring of suspicious and large-scale transactions. On this occasion, Gagrani gave necessary instructions to the concerned agencies.

On this occasion, Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr. Ashwini Joshi, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Mr. Satyanarayan Chaudhary, Special Duty Officer (Election) of the Municipal Corporation Mr. Vijay Balmwar, Joint Commissioner (Tax Assessment and Collection) Mr. Vishwas Shankarwar, Additional Collector of the Deputy Commissioner (Municipal Office) Mr. Paresh Shankarwar were present. (Konkan Division) Frog Macadam, Assistant Commissioner (Tax Assessment and Collection) Mr. Gajanan Belle was accompanied by representatives from the Reserve Bank of India, well-known District Banks, Airport Authority of India, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Railway Protection Force, Indian Coast Guard and other departments of the State Department. Municipal Corporation Commissioner and District Election Officer Bhushan Gagrani said that the Municipal Corporation administration and the election machinery are committed to ensuring that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation general elections 2025-26 are held in a completely fearless, free, transparent and orderly atmosphere.

Comprehensive and extensive preparations have been made in this regard. The role of various machinery is very important in the entire election process. To promote democratic values ​​and ensure that the electoral process remains fair, transparent and credible, all central and state machinery should strictly follow the code of conduct framed by the State Election Commission and should fully cooperate with the municipal corporation administration. Gagrani appealed that good planning should be done to create a positive, exemplary and exemplary example in the electoral process. Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Satyanarayan Chowdhury said that necessary police personnel have been made available for the flying squads established in the administrative divisions of the municipal corporation. The place where the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) has been placed and necessary security has been deployed at the counting centre. Police security will be provided during the transportation of the EVM. A contingency plan for the elections has been prepared by the police department. The process of confiscation of weapons has been initiated. Notices have been sent to all arms holders by the Mumbai Police Department. Orders for confiscation of weapons have been issued as per the report of the local police station. Precautionary measures and necessary deportation cases are being disposed of immediately. Instructions have been given to the Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Police Inspector to take necessary action to maintain law and order. Social media is being monitored independently. Chaudhry said that the responsibility has been entrusted to the Cyber ​​Cell of the police.

If illegal money is being transferred at airports and railway stations, regular action should be taken in this regard. Action should be taken to report suspicious and large-value transactions to the Income Tax Department as per the existing procedure. It was also directed in this meeting that reports of large and suspicious withdrawals of money and gift cards should also be reported immediately to the Income Tax Department.