A legal challenge has been filed in connection with the recent general elections of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation, where 20 corporators were declared elected unopposed. Congress functionary Mama Pagare approached the Senior Civil Court in Kalyan, questioning the validity of these uncontested victories. Acting on the petition, the court has issued notices to all 20 elected corporators as well as the Election Commission. Advocate Uzair Naje, representing the petitioner, confirmed that the matter has now been admitted for hearing. The court is expected to further examine the legality of the election process during the next hearing, which has been scheduled for June 8 this year.
Advocate Uzair Naje stated that the Election Commission had issued a circular in 2018 mentioning that if more than 50 percent votes in a ward are cast in favour of NOTA, fresh elections should be conducted there. He also referred to an earlier rule framed in 2002, under which a sole candidate in a ward could automatically be declared elected unopposed. However, this provision was later revised, and the practice of declaring a lone candidate elected without voting was discontinued. In the KDMC elections, 15 BJP candidates and five candidates from the Shinde-led Shiv Sena secured victories without facing opposition from any rival candidates in their respective wards.
The petitioner has urged the Kalyan Senior Civil Court to cancel the election of all 20 corporators and direct authorities to conduct fresh polls in those wards. Under election regulations, petitions challenging the electoral process are generally required to be filed within 10 days of the declaration of results. However, in this case, Pagare approached the court after a delay of 78 days. Despite the delay, the court accepted the petition and condoned the late filing, allowing the matter to proceed for judicial review. Notices have now been issued to the corporators and the Election Commission, while the next hearing in the politically sensitive case is scheduled for June 8.