MNS Demands Investigation into Uncontested Elections in Maharashtra
MNS Seeks Halt on Election Results
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, has approached the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) requesting a suspension of the election results for uncontested candidates in the Thane Municipal Corporation and other local bodies across the state. A delegation from the MNS, headed by leader Avinash Jadhav, met with the SEC to demand a thorough investigation. Jadhav, who serves as the district president for Thane and Palghar, insisted that the inquiry should be conducted by a high-level joint committee comprising former judges and senior police officials. The MNS has alleged significant irregularities in the Thane municipal elections, claiming that opposition candidates, including those from MNS, were either bribed or had their nomination papers fraudulently rejected through misuse of government machinery. This led to candidates from the ruling Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) being elected unopposed, which they argue is a serious blow to democracy.
Uncontested Wins for Mahayuti
Elections for all municipal corporations in Maharashtra are scheduled for January 15, with vote counting set for January 16. The deadline for withdrawing nominations was January 2, after which 68 candidates from the Mahayuti alliance were declared elected unopposed. The Mahayuti coalition includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) under Ajit Pawar. Among the 68 uncontested winners, 44 are from the BJP, 22 from Shiv Sena, and two from NCP. However, following allegations of irregularities, the election commission ordered an investigation on January 3.
Allegations from Shiv Sena-UBT
Previously, the Shiv Sena-UBT, led by Uddhav Thackeray, raised similar allegations and called for an investigation. Notably, both Shiv Sena-UBT and MNS have formed an alliance for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Sanjay Raut mentioned that a friend involved in the election process indicated that accepting forms after 3 PM was inappropriate. He claimed that the guardian minister conveyed this in a tone that seemed both a request and a threat, suggesting that they should heed the local MLA's advice.