Mumbai, Nov 21 (NationPress) A notable pattern is emerging in the current elections for the 246 Nagar Parishads and 42 Nagar Panchayats, where candidates associated with the BJP and its allies are being elected unopposed. This has led to protests and claims of "candidate theft" from opposition parties in Maharashtra.

The polls are set for December 2, with counting on December 3. The BJP aims to strengthen its dominance in these local elections to secure a complete hold by the 2029 Assembly elections, making extensive efforts to ensure that a maximum number of presidents and members are elected.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' cousin, Alhad Kaloti, has been elected unopposed as a councillor in the Chikhaldara Nagar Parishad of the Amravati district in the Vidarbha region after Congress candidates Sheikh Irshad Sheikh Jameel and Nathu Khadke, along with seven others, withdrew their nominations, thus securing Kaloti’s win.

In the Jamner Nagar Parishad from Jalgaon district, Sadhana Mahajan, the wife of Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan and a close aide of CM Fadnavis, was elected unopposed as president. Out of nine nominations for the president role, eight were validated, but all withdrew, leaving Sadhana Mahajan as the sole candidate.

Candidates from Congress, NCP (Pawar faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) also withdrew their nominations, granting a walkover victory to the BJP. Alongside the president, six councillors were elected unopposed in Jamner. Notably, Girish Mahajan represents the Jamner Assembly constituency.

In the Angar Nagar Panchayat of Mohol tehsil in Solapur district, all 17 seats will be occupied by BJP candidates, as only 17 nomination forms were submitted, all by BJP members. This marks the first election following the upgrade of Angar Gram Panchayat to a Nagar Panchayat.

The candidacy of NCP's Ujwala Thite for president was rejected during scrutiny, paving the way for BJP's Prajakta Patil, daughter-in-law of ex-MLA Rajan Patil. A heated exchange occurred between Rajan Patil's son Balraje Patil and NCP’s Solapur rural president Umesh Patil, with the former targeting Deputy CM and NCP chief Ajit Pawar.

Moreover, in Malkapur Nagar Parishad of Satara district, five BJP candidates were elected unopposed, surpassing their Mahayuti ally NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). The unopposed winners include candidates from Ward No 7 (Hanmantrao Jadhav, Sunita Pol) and Ward No 9 (Jotsna Shinde, Deepali Pawar).

In Pune district, where Deputy CM Pawar serves as the district guardian minister, BJP corporators (Deepak Bhegde, Shobha Pardeshi, and Nikhil Bhagat) and one NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) corporator were elected unopposed in the Talegaon Dabhade Nagar Parishad.

The Nagar Parishad has 14 wards with 28 corporator positions but will now only hold 24. In Lonavala Nagar Parishad, one BJP corporator has also been elected unopposed.

Similarly, in the Tuljapur Nagar Parishad of Dharashiv district in Marathwada, a BJP candidate, Dr. Anuja Parmeswar, was elected unopposed as a woman councillor after competitors withdrew. The BJP faces off against Congress in this civic body.

However, these unopposed elections have ignited controversy, with opposition parties accusing the BJP of undermining democratic processes.

Former Leader of Opposition in the state council and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve described the Angar situation as "horrific," claiming it symbolizes 'Jungle Raj' in Maharashtra, while Uddhav Sena spokesperson Sushma Andhare asserted, "This is not democracy."

State Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal criticized Chief Minister Fadnavis, stating that the situation has degraded from "vote theft to candidate theft."