Overview
- Sixty‑eight seats are uncontested statewide for the ruling alliance, with 44 for the BJP, 22 for the Shinde‑led Shiv Sena, and two for Ajit Pawar’s NCP.
- The State Election Commission has told returning officers not to declare unopposed winners while it examines withdrawal circumstances and reviews reports from election and police authorities.
- Investigators are seeking CCTV evidence, a report from the BMC commissioner on a complaint naming Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, and input from the DGP on a possible code‑of‑conduct breach by a Thane police official.
- The largest cluster of uncontested seats is in the Kalyan‑Dombivli Municipal Corporation, with additional wins reported in Pune, Pimpri‑Chinchwad, Panvel, Bhiwandi, Dhule, Jalgaon and Ahilyanagar.
- Opposition parties allege pressure and inducements led to withdrawals, while BJP leaders credit organisational strength; polling is on January 15 with counting on January 16, and the early wins do not by themselves secure control of any corporation.