Uddhav Demands Cancellation Of Unopposed Elections
The former Maharashtra CM said having candidates chosen unopposed is like denying voters
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday raised question marks over the candidates, who won unopposed in the civic elections, and urged the State Election Commission to cancel polls in their wards and restart the process.
“If the Maharashtra State Election Commission has courage, it should cancel elections where candidates were chosen unopposed and initiate the poll process again in those wards,”
The former Maharashtra CM said having candidates chosen unopposed is like denying voters, especially ‘GenZ,’ the chance to exercise their franchise. He said that uncontested victories deny young and first-time voters their right to vote.
The BJP and its Mahayuti allies have won 68 seats unopposed in the Maharashtra civic polls scheduled for January 15. Of them, 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.
“The atmosphere in the country is like democracy has been taken over by mobocracy,” said Uddhav.
His alliance partner MNS president Raj Thackeray accused the BJP of turning Maharashtra into Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and warned “no one stays in power forever.”
Claiming that the BJP was setting a wrong precedent, Raj said, “The ruling party should not complain when its successors resort to such tactics in a more refined way.”
Uddhav and Raj Thackeray unveiled their alliance manifesto for the Mumbai civic elections, promising a Rs 1,500 monthly allowance for domestic workers under the Swabhiman Nidhi scheme, a cut in the minimum BEST bus fare to Rs 5, more buses and routes, scrapping of property tax on homes up to 700 sq ft, and one parking space per flat in redeveloped buildings.
Mumbai’s land will only be used to house Mumbaikars, the manifesto states, promising affordable housing for employees of the BMC, government, BEST and mill workers.
The BMC will have its own housing authority, and one lakh affordable houses will be built in the next five years, it stated.
The parties have also promised 100 units of free power for residential use through the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, and efforts will be taken to extend this to the eastern and western suburbs.