A bench comprising Chief Justice S. Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad reprimanded the petitioner for making incorrect statements during the morning list. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday (Jan 14, 2026) dismissed a plea challenging undisputed victories in the ongoing Maharashtra municipal corporation polls on the grounds that election laws verify candidates who win unopposed.
A bench comprising Chief Justice S. Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad reprimanded the petitioner for making incorrect statements during the morning list. “The proposal which claimed that the proposal is similar to the earlier proposal has no such similarity,” the court pointed out on penalties.
“The petitioner also did not present evidence to support her claims. Moreover, the elections took place in accordance with the law and there is no reason for the court to intervene. In one precinct, if only one candidate remains, she is elected without opposition, which applies according to election laws,” the court said.
66 without resistance
The petitioner, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Avinash Jadhav, filed a plea against the election of unopposed candidates in the municipal corporation elections and urged that NOTA option be provided in these constituencies. As many as 66 candidates won unopposed in the state, of which 44 were BJP candidates, while 19 were from Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and the remaining from NCP (Ajit Pawar). Citing these victories, the opposition claimed that the mass withdrawal was not “voluntary” and Mahayuti’s allies used coercion, forcing their candidates to withdraw.
Since the matter was not listed, the petitioner’s counsel, Asim Sarode, appeared before the court and sought an urgent hearing during which he raised his suspicions about the role of the returning officer. “The court dismissed the plea saying it would not interfere with the election process and said it could be heard after the elections,” Sarode told The Hindu.
Published – 14 Jan 2026 23:05 IST
