4 months ago
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The Bombay High Court connected Wednesday (January 14, 2026) dismissed a plea challenging uncontested victories successful the ongoing Maharashtra municipal corp polls connected the grounds that predetermination laws validate candidates who triumph unopposed.
The bench, consisting of Chief Justice S. Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad, reprimanded the petitioner for making incorrect statements during the greeting listing. “The writ petition, which claimed the petition was akin to an earlier petition, has nary specified similarity,” observed the court, informing of penalties.
“The petitioner has besides failed to supply grounds to enactment their allegations. Furthermore, the elections were conducted successful accordance with the law, and determination is nary crushed for the tribunal to intervene. In 1 ward, if lone 1 campaigner remains, that means she is elected unopposed, which is valid nether the predetermination laws,” the court observed.
66 unopposed
The petitioner, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) person Avinash Jadhav, filed a plea opposing the predetermination of unopposed candidates successful the municipal corp elections, urging that the NOTA enactment be provided successful these wards. In the State, arsenic galore arsenic 66 candidates won unopposed, retired of which 44 were BJP candidates, portion 19 were Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and the remaining from the NCP (Ajit Pawar). Citing these victories, the opposition claimed that the wide withdrawals were not “voluntary” and Mahayuti allies utilized coercion, forcing their candidates to withdraw.
Since the substance was not listed, the petitioner’s lawyer, Asim Sarode, went earlier the seat and requested an urgent hearing, during which helium raised his suspicions astir the Returning Officer’s role. “The tribunal dismissed the plea, saying it volition not interfere successful the predetermination process and said it could beryllium pursued after the elections,” Mr. Sarode told The Hindu.
