Uncontested victories in Mumbai local polls valid under the law: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) dismissed a plea challenging uncontested victories in the ongoing Maharashtra municipal corporation polls on the grounds that election laws validate candidates who win unopposed.

The bench, consisting of Chief Justice S. Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad, reprimanded the petitioner for making incorrect statements during the morning listing. “The writ petition, which claimed the petition was similar to an earlier petition, has no such similarity,” observed the court, warning of penalties.

“The petitioner has also failed to provide evidence to support their allegations. Furthermore, the elections were conducted in accordance with the law, and there is no reason for the court to intervene. In one ward, if only one candidate remains, that means she is elected unopposed, which is valid under the election laws,” the court observed. 

66 unopposed

The petitioner, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Avinash Jadhav, filed a plea opposing the election of unopposed candidates in the municipal corporation elections, urging that the NOTA option be provided in these wards. In the State, as many as 66 candidates won unopposed, out of which 44 were BJP candidates, while 19 were Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and the remaining from the NCP (Ajit Pawar). Citing these victories, the opposition claimed that the mass withdrawals were not “voluntary” and Mahayuti allies used coercion, forcing their candidates to withdraw.

Since the matter was not listed, the petitioner’s lawyer, Asim Sarode, went before the bench and requested an urgent hearing, during which he raised his suspicions about the Returning Officer’s role. “The court dismissed the plea, saying it will not interfere in the election process and said it could be pursued after the elections,” Mr. Sarode told The Hindu.