'Conspiracy to avoid defeat': Shiv Sena (UBT) accuses Fadnavis govt of deliberately delaying BMC polls, flags scams worth ₹350 crore

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday accused the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government of deliberately stalling the long-pending Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. In a sharp attack, the Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the ruling Mahayuti alliance, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, is "running away from elections" due to fear of electoral backlash.

"The government is afraid of facing the people. The term of Mumbai's civic body ended two years ago, yet polls are being delayed endlessly. This is a deliberate conspiracy to avoid defeat,” Raut told reporters.

The civic elections in Mumbai have remained in limbo since March 2022, with no fresh dates in sight. The BMC, the country’s richest civic body has been under administrative rule for over two years, with the state government citing technical reasons, including ward delimitation, for the continued delay.

Raut further alleged that the continued delay is part of a broader strategy to retain bureaucratic control over key urban bodies. "The Supreme Court has clearly said elections must be held within four months of a term ending. Yet, in Mumbai, Thane, Pune and other places, there is no sign of democracy returning," he pointed.

He also flagged large-scale corruption under administrative governance, claiming that scams worth ₹350 crore had occurred in cities including Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Pune, and Mira-Bhayandar. “Tenders were issued for 750 roads, but the work was not done. People can’t even walk on the roads in this rain,” he alleged.

He also said he would document these corruption cases formally: “Once my 100 letters on corruption are completed, I will write a book on it — and get it released by Modi ji,” he remarked.

Adding to the delay, the Maharashtra government has recently extended the deadline for ward formation, virtually pushing the BMC elections post Diwali. As per a recent notification, the final demarcation of wards will now be completed by 6 October, a full month later than the previously set 4 September deadline.

According to reports, civic bodies have been asked to publish draft ward boundaries between 9–15 September, with final approval from the State Election Commission expected by early October. Only after this can the process of reservation for SC/ST/OBC categories and the electoral roll update begin procedures that typically take another 4–6 weeks.

The BMC elections, along with those for other major municipal corporations like Pune and Nagpur, are unlikely to take place before November, despite the Supreme Court earlier directing that polls be conducted within four months of a body’s term ending.