Mumbai, Jan 24 (IANS) Following a dominant performance in the recently concluded Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council and Nagar Panchayat elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is continuing its so-called “unopposed pattern” in the Zilla Parishad (ZP) and Panchayat Samiti elections in Maharashtra.
As scrutiny of nomination papers concluded, in a major blow to the opposition, a total of 11 Mahayuti candidates — 10 from the BJP and one from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena — were elected unopposed.
These unopposed victories include five seats in the Zilla Parishad and six seats in the Panchayat Samiti from the coastal districts of Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri.
The strategy of persuading rival candidates to withdraw — a tactic that had earlier resulted in 68 Mahayuti candidates winning unopposed in the municipal polls earlier this month — has now extended to rural local bodies.
Dr Padmaja Kambale of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena became the first candidate in the state to be elected unopposed in the current cycle from the Nanij Panchayat Samiti in Ratnagiri, a known stronghold of Industries Minister Uday Samant.
Key wins in Sindhudurg included BJP candidates Prachi Isvalkar (Kharepatan ZP) and Pramod Kamat (Banda ZP), who secured their seats after rival candidates from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and independents withdrew their nominations.
Sindhudurg is considered a high-stakes battleground as it is the home district of BJP state president Ravindra Chavan. However, the driving force behind the clean sweep is being attributed to the strategic planning and grassroots micro-management of BJP MP Narayan Rane and party minister Nitesh Rane.
By consolidating local support and reportedly negotiating withdrawals by rival candidates, the Mahayuti has neutralised contests in nearly 20 per cent of the seats in certain pockets even before polling.
Its influence, particularly in the Kankavli Assembly constituency, is said to have prompted several opposition and independent candidates to withdraw from the fray. Political analysts said the so-called “Rane factor” has effectively blunted opposition challenges in these areas ahead of polling.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has alleged that the ruling alliance is using pressure tactics to force candidates to withdraw.
However, Mahayuti leaders have rejected the allegations, describing the unopposed victories as a “certificate of public trust” in the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.
The “unopposed pattern”, they said, reflects the organisational strength of the Mahayuti and its attempt to build a psychological edge over the opposition.
With the opposition appearing on the back foot in this coastal belt, the Mahayuti alliance has entered the final phase of the elections with a significant psychological and numerical advantage.
With record numbers of nominations filed — over 7,600 for Zilla Parishads and around 13,000 for Panchayat Samitis — the polls scheduled for February 5 are expected to test whether the opposition can arrest the Mahayuti’s momentum in rural Maharashtra.
--IANS
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