MUMBAI, Jan. 3 -- As many as 68 candidates from the three major ruling parties in the Mahayuti alliance in the state could be elected unopposed in crucial elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra. Taking the tally to 69 is one candidate from the Islam Party in Malegaon. In this multi-cornered contest, 2,869 seats are up for grabs. Of these, 44 BJP candidates, 22 Shiv Sena candidates, two NCP candidates, and one from the Islam Party in Malegaon have no opponents. The number was confirmed on Friday, the last day for the withdrawal of nominations. Opposition parties are crying foul, alleging that the ruling BJP, Sena and NCP had either intimidated rival candidates, coercing them to withdraw from the fray, or used inducements to get them to pull their nominations at the eleventh hour. With an unprecedented number of candidates facing no opposition, the State Election Commission (SEC) has instructed returning officers not to announce the winners in these wards, until an investigation is completed. The impending elections will be the most fractured civic polls ever held in the state, as allies will take on each other and political foes will be contesting as partners, in a high-stakes numbers game. The highest number of candidates with no opponents is in the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) - 22 - hometown of Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan. Twelve candidates are from Jalgaon, the home district of water resources minister Girish Mahajan. In the KDMC, where the BJP and Sena are in an alliance, there are 122 seats. Here, 15 candidates from the BJP and 7 from the Shiv Sena face no opposition. In the 78-seat Panvel Municipal Corporation, where the BJP and Sena are contesting together, 6 BJP candidates were left with no rivals after the Congress, PWP and Shiv Sena candidates withdrew their nominations. In the 165-seat Pune Municipal Corporation, where the BJP and Sena are in an alliance, 2 BJP candidates, Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap, have a clear field, as the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) candidates have withdrawn their candidacy. In Jalgaon, 12 ruling party candidates face no rivals - 6 from the BJP and 6 form the Sena. All six candidates who withdrew their nominations against the Sena are from the Sena (UBT). Alarmed by this development, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) has dispatched some of its candidates to other districts. "We have taken utmost care to ensure that our candidates are not pressured or fall prey to inducements. The ruling alliance has been trying everything possible to force opponents to withdraw," said a Sena (UBT) leader from Jalgaon. Sena (UBT) leader and MLA Aaditya Thackeray has accused the ruling Mahayuti alliance of strong-arming the electoral process to get candidates from their parties elected unopposed. "The power of money is being misused to force opponents to withdraw" he alleged. His party colleague Sajay Raut also claimed the ruling parties are pressuring returning officers to "unlawfully prevent" opposition candidates from filing their nominations. Maharashtra Congress chief Harshavardhan Sakpal said this election is being "flooded by complaints" of misuse of power by ruling parties, when they were expected to be held in a free and fair atmosphere. BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said opposition candidates withdrew as they realised they didn't stand a chance. "It is the result of the popularity of our government and the strategy in the election," he claimed. Upadhye also rubbished allegations of misuse of power. "This is not possible in hi-teach elections, when everybody has all types of means to expose wrongdoing. The accusations are meant to cover up their bad performance," he said. Meanwhile, the SEC has announced an investigation into the matter by three state authorities. "It is true that the number of unopposed candidates is unprecedented. The returning officers, municipal commissioners and police commissioners will be asked to submit reports on these wards to check if coercive practices were used or allurements were given for withdrawal,' said an official with the SEC....