2 more from BJP, 4 from Shinde Sena win unopposed in KDMC polls

After three seats were secured by the BJP on Wednesday, two more of its candidates and four Shiv Sena candidates were declared elected unopposed on Thursday

THANE: Even as the controversy about candidates being elected unopposed escalates, a total of nine such Mahayuti candidates have emerged victorious in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) elections. After three seats were secured by the BJP on Wednesday, two more of its candidates and four Shiv Sena candidates were declared elected unopposed on Thursday. BJP candidate Manda Subhash Patil from Panel 27A was elected after Adv Suvarna Mhatre from the MNS withdrew her nomination.

Four Shiv Sena candidates were declared elected unopposed on Thursday

In Panel 24, which comprises four wards, 16 candidates from the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and independent groups were initially in the fray. However, all non-BJP and non-Shiv Sena candidates withdrew their nominations on Thursday, resulting in the unopposed election of Jyoti Pawan Patil (BJP), Ramesh Mhatre (Shiv Sena), Vishwanath Rane (Shiv Sena) and Vrushali Ranjit Joshi (Shiv Sena). MLA Rajesh More’s son Harshal More (Shiv Sena), Panel 28 A, also won unopposed.

Former Kalyan Rural MLA Pramod (Raju) Patil said that money power and the influence of the ruling government had been used to manipulate the election process. “The panel system has been deliberately designed to favour strong ruling party candidates, making it difficult for the opposition to survive,” he said. Patil added that unopposed candidates would not feel accountable to voters, thereby undermining democratic principles.

Similar allegations have emerged from Thane, where MNS leader Avinash Jadhav and NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad accused the Mahayuti, in connivance with election officials, of rejecting opposition nomination forms on trivial grounds while accepting BJP and Shiv Sena nominations despite alleged discrepancies. On Thursday, a delegation comprising the MNS and other opposition leaders met Thane Municipal Corporation officials and lodged a formal complaint.

Earlier, on Wednesday, BJP candidates Rekha Rajan Chaudhary (Ward 18A, Kalyan East), Asavari Kedar Navre (Ward 26C), and Ranjana Mitesh Penkar (Ward 26B) were also elected unopposed. Independent candidate Gayatri Gavande, who was preparing to contest against Penkar, had her nomination rejected during scrutiny for undisclosed reasons.

Meanwhile, in the Bhiwandi Municipal Corporation elections, BJP candidate Sumit Patil from Panel 17 was also elected unopposed. Six candidates were initially in the contest; however, three withdrew while two were disqualified, paving the way for Patil’s unopposed victory.