Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday launched a scathing attack over the unopposed election, especially of Mahayuti nominees in municipal polls across Maharashtra, stating that even the big leaders of this country were never elected unopposed.

“Atal Bihari Vajpayee was never elected unopposed, nor were Barrister Nath Pai, Vasantdada Patil, Ram Manohar Lohia, or even Narendra Modi. However, a new trend has started in Maharashtra where ‘Sama, Dana, Danda, Bheda (persuasion, money, punishment, and division)’ are being used to ensure unopposed victories,” he remarked.

He added that journalists, political analysts, and the public were well-aware that such a high number of unopposed candidates is unprecedented, not just in the country’s history, but in the history of the world.

Describing the tactics used, Raut at the press conference alleged that candidates were forced to withdraw not just through the misuse of election machinery, but by “showering” them with money. “Opponents were being paid five crore rupees each to step down,” he claimed.

He cited the example of Kalyan, stating that the amount offered to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) city chief Manoj Gharat to withdraw was “eye-popping.”

Regarding the situation in Jalgaon, he alleged, “Bags containing five crore rupees each were sent to the houses of candidates to force them to withdraw. The candidates were left stunned by the sheer amount of money. Such a massive play of wealth has never been seen before in this democracy.” Raut further alleged that the election machinery was manipulated.

“The election officials had clear instructions. Although the deadline for withdrawal was 3:00 PM, instructions were issued from the offices of the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister to accept applications even after that time and backdate them to before 3:00 PM,” he said and demanded an investigation into the communication logs.

“Check the phone calls and records of everyone involved. Investigate who called whom in the last 24 hours — which Guardian Minister, which Minister, or which office made the calls. If this is investigated, the mystery behind these unopposed withdrawals will be revealed,” he said.

Raut expressed deep concern over the state’s image, saying, “These incidents have dragged Maharashtra’s prestige through the dust. The state has been completely defamed. If 60 people are being elected unopposed, what kind of election is this? What are the voters supposed to do?”

He questioned the role of the regulatory body, asking, “Has this question ever occurred to the Election Commission? The Election Commission has become a ‘pet cat’ sitting under the plates of these corrupt individuals.”

Meanwhile, Raut also reacted on NCP chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s scathing attack accusing the BJP leaders from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation of reaching the “pinnacle of corruption.”

He further claimed they possess a “monstrous hunger” to enrich their families through illicit means. He reminded the public of the origins of the corruption allegations against the Deputy CM.

“We did not level the ₹70,000 crore irrigation scam allegations against Ajit Pawar. It was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who made those charges during a rally in Bhopal. Ironically, just eight days later, Ajit Pawar joined the Cabinet. The BJP must now answer what happened to those allegations,” he said.

Raut suggested that Ajit Pawar’s sudden change in tone indicates a potential shift in political alignment. Commenting on the accusations regarding the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation he said, “It appears Ajit Pawar is looking for a different path. If a sitting Deputy Chief Minister accuses his own ally of looting the state and gathering property through corrupt means, what should the public conclude?”

Questioning Ajit Pawar’s decision to remain in power despite these grievances, Raut suggested that he should return to his mentor. “If Ajit Pawar feels the BJP is so corrupt, why is he still in the government? He should return to Sharad Pawar. The NCP handed to him by Amit Shah is not the original one; the real NCP belongs to Sharad Pawar, and Ajit knows this,” he remarked.

Mumbai: Although several candidates from the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance have reportedly been elected unopposed in municipal corporations across Maharashtra, the State Election Commission (SEC) has not officially declared any such results so far.

The SEC has clarified that no candidate can be termed “elected unopposed” unless the Returning Officers (ROs) concerned submit detailed reports along with written statements from candidates who withdrew their nominations.

Unopposed victories were reported from municipal corporations such as Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane, Jalgaon, Panvel, Dhule, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, following which senior leaders of the BJP and Shiv Sena were seen congratulating the winning candidates. “When candidates are said to be elected unopposed, we immediately seek reports from the returning officers and verify them on three parameters. We ascertain whether the withdrawal of nominations was due to threats, monetary inducements or any other form of coercion. Without this verification, we do not declare any election unopposed,” the officer said.

The officer further stated that it is incorrect to claim unopposed victories without clearance from the SEC. “Normally, we allow a period of about one week and then RO personally communicate with candidates who have withdrawn their nominations. Written statements are obtained from them before completing the verification process. Without an SEC certificate, declaring any candidate unopposed has no validity,” the officer added.

According to unofficial claims till Friday evening, 44 BJP candidates, 18 Shiv Sena candidates, two NCP candidates and one Islam Party candidate were said to have won unopposed. As per these claims, in Kalyan-Dombivli, 15 from the BJP and six from the Shiv Sena candidates were reportedly elected unopposed. Jalgaon reportedly saw 12 unopposed candidates, equally divided between the BJP and Shiv Sena.

In Panvel, eight BJP candidates were said to have been elected unopposed, while Dhule reported three BJP candidates and Pimpri-Chinchwad two BJP candidates. In Thane, six Shiv Sena candidates were reportedly unopposed, while Ahilyanagar saw two NCP candidates, Bhiwandi six BJP candidates and Pune two BJP candidates declared unopposed by party sources.

Thane: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested an assistant police inspector (API) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a man for helping him and his family members in a case in Maharashtra’s Thane district, an official said on Saturday.

Based on a complaint, API Sanjay Dhondiram Bidgar (48) of Ulhasnagar police station was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe amount on Friday, the official said.

He said that a case had been registered at the Ulhasnagar police station against the complainant, his son, and wife, and the accused officer allegedly demanded Rs 20,000 in exchange for not arresting the trio and for helping them in the case.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB in Thane, and after a preliminary verification, a trap was laid.

A case has been registered against Bidgar under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and a further probe is underway, the official said.