Overview
- Sixty‑eight seats are uncontested after the withdrawal deadline, with 44 for the BJP, 22 for the Eknath Shinde–led Shiv Sena, and two for the Ajit Pawar NCP faction.
- Kalyan‑Dombivli accounts for the largest share with 22 unopposed seats, followed by 12 in Jalgaon, with additional cases reported in Pune, Pimpri‑Chinchwad, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule and Ahilyanagar.
- The State Election Commission has ordered inquiries and instructed returning officers not to announce unopposed winners until reports from ROs, municipal commissioners and police commissioners are reviewed.
- Opposition parties allege coercion and inducements, and complaints include claims that Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar influenced an RO in Mumbai; the SEC has sought CCTV checks and a separate report from the DGP on a Thane DCP’s conduct.
- In Pune, BJP’s Manjushree Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap were reported unopposed, while statewide civic polling is set for January 15 with counting on January 16 and the SEC’s findings pending.