Thane, Jan 1 (IANS) In a significant boost for the Shiv Sena ahead of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) general elections, three party candidates from Ward No. 24 have been declared elected unopposed. The development marks the formal opening of the Shiv Sena’s account in the upcoming civic polls and is seen as strengthening the Mahayuti alliance’s position in the twin cities.

The Shiv Sena candidates who secured victory without contest are Ramesh Mhatre, Vishwanath Rane and Vrushali Joshi. Their election was confirmed after all rival candidates withdrew their nominations during the scrutiny process.

Alongside the three Shiv Sena corporators, Jyoti Patil of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an ally in the ruling Mahayuti coalition, was also declared elected unopposed from the same ward, resulting in a clean sweep for the alliance in this pocket.

Following the announcement, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Member of Parliament Dr Shrikant Shinde congratulated the newly elected corporators through a video call. They attributed the outcome to the organisational strength of the Shiv Sena and the continued public support for its leadership.

Party workers described the unopposed election of the three Shiv Sena corporators as a validation of the “Shinde style” of functioning and expressed confidence that similar results could follow in other wards of the civic body.

The development comes a day after the BJP made early gains in civic polls across Maharashtra by securing several seats unopposed on Wednesday, even before polling. As of Thursday, at least six candidates have reportedly been declared elected unopposed across different municipal corporations in the state.

In the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, Rekha Chaudhary was elected unopposed from Ward No. 18-A. A veteran corporator and district president of the BJP Mahila Morcha, she was the sole nominee from the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reserved ward.

Asawari Navre was elected unopposed from Ward No. 26-C of the KDMC. Contesting civic elections for the first time, she is reported to have strong family roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Ranjana Perkar was declared elected unopposed from Ward No. 26-B, completing a hat-trick of unopposed wins for the BJP in the KDMC.

State BJP president Ravindra Chavan personally congratulated the victorious candidates, noting that the party’s account in the civic polls was opened by women leaders. He also facilitated a video call between the three unopposed candidates and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In the Panvel Municipal Corporation, Nitin Patil was elected unopposed from Ward No. 18-B after the nomination of his sole rival, Rohan Gawand of the Peasants and Workers Party, was rejected during scrutiny due to an invalid caste certificate.

In the Dhule Municipal Corporation, the BJP secured two seats unopposed, party sources said.

In another notable development, Ujjwala Bhosale, wife of NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) City District President Ranjit Bhosale, joined the BJP two days ago. She was elected unopposed after the nominations of all opposing candidates were rejected during scrutiny, making her a corporator within 24 hours of joining the party.

Jyotsna Praful Patil was also elected unopposed from Ward No. 6-B, as no other candidate filed a nomination against her.

–IANS

sj/pgh