India, Jan. 15 -- The Bombay High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Avinash Jadhav challenging the "suspicious coercive withdrawals" of candidates from at least 68 wards in various poll-bound municipal corporations across Maharashtra, leading to the unopposed victory of nominees from the ruling Mahayuti coalition.

Noting that the polling is scheduled on Thursday, a division bench of chief justice Shree Chandrashekhar and justice Gautam Ankhad held that it cannot interfere with the election process once it has started and directed the petitioner to come after the elections, if required.

The matter was mentioned before the court on Wednesday morning, when advocate Asim Sarode, appeari...