In a strong defence of the rising trend of uncontested victories in municipal corporation polls, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has stated that such outcomes reflect political maturity and a consensus for development, rather than a subversion of democratic processes. The minister made these remarks while addressing the media in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Monday.
Unopposed Wins Are a Positive Sign, Says Minister
Bawankule argued that when elections conclude without a contest, it signals that even opposition party workers have faith in the sitting corporator's ability to deliver development. He suggested that workers from rival parties sometimes voluntarily withdraw, believing their area will progress faster under the current leadership. "If a worker from the opposition feels that his area will see faster development because of the corporator in position and decides to step aside, that is a good thing. Unopposed elections are a sign of maturity," Bawankule told reporters.
To bolster his argument, the BJP politician pointed to the example of village councils. "The pace of development in villages where elections are held unopposed clearly shows that such consensus helps governance," he said. He also emphasised that the process is permitted by the Election Commission and does not violate any rules.
Countering Criticism from Uddhav Thackeray and Others
The minister's comments come as a direct rebuttal to criticism from opposition leaders, notably Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, who has raised concerns over the erosion of democratic choice. Bawankule accused Thackeray of speaking without studying the facts. "Wherever elections are held unopposed, there are no opposition candidates at all. Thackeray does not study facts before making statements. That habit led to his political decline," he alleged.
Explaining the specific scenario in civic bodies like the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Bawankule noted that in many wards, candidates from the ruling Mahayuti alliance are competing against each other. "On both sides, they are our own people. When ward-wise and prabhag-wise situations are reviewed, it is clear that there are no real opposition candidates. That is why elections are unopposed. This helps speed up development," he elaborated.
Historical Precedent and Internal Coordination
Drawing a parallel to a past instance within his own party, Bawankule recalled that senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari was once elected unopposed from a graduates' constituency. "Unopposed elections depend on individuals and circumstances. When Gadkari was elected unopposed, would similar criticism have been justified?" he questioned.
The revenue minister also responded to recent remarks made by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who had reportedly expressed some criticism regarding the election process. Bawankule stated that such comments were unnecessary and should have been avoided. "I was part of the coordination committee for municipal elections. It was decided that statements should not create differences. Ajit Pawar is a senior politician, but such criticism was unnecessary," he said, adding that both Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde had refrained from making critical statements.
Bawankule's defence positions the BJP's view that a lack of electoral contest in local body polls is not a failure of democracy but an endorsement of its governance model, aiming to shift the narrative from political monopoly to developmental consensus.
