Maharashtra Civic Body Elections 2026: BJP-Led Mahayuti In Driver's Seat With 68 Unopposed Wins So Far; Check Details

Mumbai: Ahead of the January 15 Maharashtra urban local body elections, the ruling Mahayuti alliance has secured a major early advantage, with 68 seats already won unopposed, showing its strong grip over local bodies across the state.

The Mahayuti comprises the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). BJP leader Keshav Upadhye on Friday announced the unopposed victories, describing them as a major boost for the CM Devendra Fadnavis-led alliance ahead of polling. Of the 68 uncontested seats, 44 were won by the BJP, reflecting the party’s expanding footprint in urban local governance, a space traditionally dominated by regional parties.

In Maharashtra’s 29 municipal corporations, Mahayuti candidates have taken a clear lead even before voting began. Following the conclusion of the nomination withdrawal process on Friday, candidates from opposition parties pulled out in several wards, resulting in 68 candidates being declared elected unopposed. Of these, 66 belong to the BJP–Shiv Sena alliance, 44 from the BJP and 22 from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, while two are from the NCP.

Details On Unopposed Wins Secured By Mahayuti

Among the BJP’s 44 uncontested wins, 15 came from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district, the highest concentration of such victories. Other BJP wins include six each from Bhiwandi, Jalgaon and Panvel municipal corporations, four from Dhule, three from Ahilyanagar and two each from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations.

Shiv Sena, led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, saw 22 of its candidates elected unopposed, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP secured two such seats. Buoyed by these results, Union minister and senior BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol stated that the next mayor of Pune would be from the BJP.

These uncontested wins come on the heels of Mahayuti’s strong performance in the recently held municipal council elections and are expected to strengthen the alliance’s momentum further.

EC Seeks Report On Unopposed Wins

However, the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) has ordered an inquiry into reports of candidates being elected unopposed ahead of the January 15 polls. “We have asked all local authorities to submit reports. This is a routine process whenever nominations are withdrawn and only one candidate remains,” an SEC official told The Hindu. The commission will examine whether any withdrawals were made under pressure, duress or inducement.

Earlier this week, Mahayuti finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 137 seats, while the Shiv Sena will field candidates in 90 seats.

According to the final figures released by election authorities, 1,700 candidates remain in the fray across BMC’s 227 wards after scrutiny and withdrawals. Of the total nominations filed, 2,231 were found valid, 167 were rejected and 453 candidates withdrew their nominations.

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Published on: Saturday, January 03, 2026, 11:41 AM IST