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 “Normally, we allow a period of about one week and then RO personally communicate with candidates who have withdrawn their nominations.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.

Mumbai: With just 12 days remaining for the 29 Municipal Corporation elections in Maharashtra, the State Election Commission (SEC) has launched a high-level inquiry into the “unopposed” election of 69 candidates across the state.

The SEC has initiated this move as it is mandatory to submit detailed reports presented by the District Collectors and Municipal Commissioners about the elections, and only after that, the poll panel examines and decides whether to declare the concerned candidates elected or otherwise.

The SEC sources told Media on Saturday, “The SEC has taken a serious note of the declaration of unopposed wins by political parties and ordered a probe.

According to the stipulated norms, the victory of any candidate, even though unopposed, is officially declared only on the counting day based on the report of the Municipal Commissioner in case of these 29 municipal corporations. As per the SEC’s norms, it is verified that the candidates have not withdrawn under any pressure or due to lurement or any other coercive measures.”

The SEC’s intervention follows serious allegations from opposition parties, including the Congress, Janata Dal (S), and AAP.

Candidates in three wards of Mumbai’s Colaba (Ward ‘A’) alleged they were unlawfully prevented from filing nominations or were pressured to withdraw under duress.

The SEC has directed the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner to examine CCTV footage from the Ward ‘A’ office to verify claims of interference.

Reports have been sought from Returning Officers, Municipal Commissioners, and Police Commissioners following the January 2 withdrawal deadline.

“The election results for these BMC seats will not be officially announced until the investigation is complete,” said SEC sources.

While officials can face action if found guilty of bias, current laws do not allow for the re-filing of nominations.

The SEC’s move is crucial, especially as even before the polling, the Mahayuti claimed it wrested 68 out of 69 seats, which went unopposed in the Municipal Corporations elections in Maharashtra.

On the last day of withdrawals of candidature, the BJP struck maximum gain with candidates in 44 seats having no opponent in the contest. Thus, giving it a cakewalk.

The BJP has taken the lead with 44 candidates unopposed out of a total of 69 in the 29 municipal corporation elections.

The elections for municipal corporations, including BMC is scheduled on January 15 and counting on January 16. Even before the polling, the candidate scrutiny showed a total of 69 candidates in the fray across parties, with no contestant in the elections.

While the BJP has the highest unopposed 44 candidates, Shiv Sena 22, NCP 2 and the Islamic Party one.

The Municipal Corporation data showed that the BJP has the highest 15 unopposed candidates in Kalyan. It is followed by Bhiwandi six, Pune two, Pimpri-Chinchwad two, Panvel six, Dhule four, Jalgaon six and Ahilyanagar three.

The Shiv Sena registered seven candidates unopposed in Thane, also the home turf of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, Kalyan (seven) and Jalgaon (six) and two in Bhiwandi.

Whereas Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s NCP managed two unopposed contests in Jalgaon.

The Islamic party bagged the lone seat in Malegaon.