Civic polls | Opposition cries foul over unopposed Sena, BJP wins in Thane district

The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS have alleged foul play in the civic elections after 32 candidates from the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena were declared elected unopposed in Maharashtra's Thane district, sparking demands for the NOTA option and legal action.

Of the 68 candidates declared elected unopposed in the municipal corporation polls across the state, a staggering 47 per cent (32 candidates) hail from Thane district alone.

The BJP leads the tally with 20 unopposed candidates, followed by the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena with 12. In Kalyan, 14 BJP and six Shiv Sena candidates have emerged unopposed, while six candidates each from both ruling parties have secured the tag in Thane and Bhiwandi.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Thane unit chief Kedar Dighe on Sunday questioned the legitimacy of the results, terming the phenomenon unprecedented in the state's civic election history.

"How can only ruling party candidates emerge unopposed? If this concept is valid, opposition candidates should have also been on the list," Dighe said.

He further argued that even with a single candidate, the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option must be provided to voters.

"Citizens should not be deprived of their right to vote," he added.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Saturday indicated it may challenge the "unopposed" declarations in court.

MNS spokesperson said that the party's Thane-Palghar chief Avinash Jadhav has briefed party president Raj Thackeray on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), in a release on Saturday, clarified that while six candidates were lone contenders in their respective wards, their names have been forwarded to the State Election Commission (SEC) for a final decision.

Notably, in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) polls, where the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting against each other, no candidate has been declared elected unopposed.