A row over the “unopposed” victories of Mahayuti nominees ahead of civic polls landed in the Bombay High Court on Monday, with an MNS leader urging a stay on the declaration of results in 68 seats and a court-monitored inquiry into “mass withdrawals” forced by coercion.Avinash Jadhav, who heads the Thane unit of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, alleged that opposition candidates were “forced, intimidated, or allured” into withdrawing their nomination papers through corrupt practices, which violates the ‘free and fair’ mandate of Article 243-ZA of the Constitution. In a plea filed, Jadhav demanded a court-monitored inquiry into the “mass withdrawals” and a stay on the declaration of results in 68 seats where the ruling BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have claimed uncontested victories. The petition will be taken up for hearing in due course.
Joining the controversy, Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal has demanded that voters be allowed to exercise the None of the Above’ (NOTA) option even in civic wards where candidates are elected unopposed, so that citizens can exercise their constitutional right to vote.