The Bombay High Court on January 14, 2026, rejected a plea challenging unopposed victories in Maharashtra municipal corporation elections. The bench, led by Chief Justice S. Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad, noted that election laws clearly permit candidates to win unopposed. The court warned the petitioner for making incorrect statements during hearings and said there was no evidence to back claims of coercion or malpractice. MNS leader Avinash Jadhav filed the plea seeking the NOTA option in wards with unopposed winners. In these polls, 66 candidates won without opposition, including 44 from BJP, 19 from Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde), and the rest from NCP (Ajit Pawar). The petitioner claimed mass withdrawals were forced under pressure from Mahayuti allies, but the court dismissed this. Lawyer Asim Sarode urged for urgent hearing and questioned the Returning Officer’s role, but the court refused to interfere during the elections, advising to pursue the matter afterward. The High Court’s decision clears the way for the current election process to continue legally.