BJP Makes Historic Inroads in Nashik's Old City
For the first time ever, the Bharatiya Janata Party has secured victories in the old city area of Nashik. This breakthrough came primarily in Wards 13 and 14, areas that have long resisted BJP influence. The party achieved this by implementing a controversial strategy of recruiting individuals with proven electoral track records, despite facing significant opposition from within its own ranks.
A Traditional Stronghold Falls
Together, Wards 13 and 14 contain eight municipal seats. This part of Nashik has historically been a bastion for the Congress party and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Ward 13 features a mixed population, while Ward 14 is predominantly Muslim. In this election cycle, the BJP focused its experimental strategy solely on Ward 13.
A senior BJP politician explained the significance of this win. "BJP members have been elected from across the city in every ward, but these two wards, which are part of the Nashik Central Assembly segment, had remained impenetrable. Our party office-bearers decided on a specific strategy to ensure we finally got our members elected here," the politician stated.
The Defector Strategy and Internal Discord
The party's plan involved inducting several prominent local figures from rival parties on December 25, 2025. These individuals were promised election tickets. The list included Shahu Khaire, a former Congress functionary and standing committee chairman; former mayor Yatin Wagh from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS); another former mayor, Vinayak Pande; and former MNS MLA Nitin Bhosale.
This move sparked considerable resentment among a section of BJP members. The dissent was led by BJP MLA from Nashik Central, Devyani Pharande. She publicly claimed that "agents" were being brought into the party and that they were essentially fixing their own seats instead of allowing the dedicated party cadre to contest the elections.
Despite official claims that no promises were made to newcomers, the party secretly provided A-B forms, which are essential for candidacy, to several individuals connected to the new inductees. These recipients were Shahu Khaire, Hitesh Wagh (wife of Yatin Wagh), Anita Pande (daughter-in-law of Vinayak Pande), and Bablu Shelar, nephew of the NCP's city unit president Gajanant Shelar.
Interestingly, Bablu Shelar had been brought into the BJP fold by Devyani Pharande herself just one day prior to this strategic move. Pharande was also in charge of candidate selection for the city, yet she was reportedly not consulted before this major decision was made by the party leadership.
Execution and Victory in Ward 13
In Ward 13, the BJP formed a panel of four candidates to contest the election. The strategy proved successful. Three of the four BJP-backed candidates were elected, defeating opponents from Congress, Shiv Sena, and Shiv Sena (UBT). This victory allowed the BJP to finally enter what was considered a Congress citadel. The fourth seat in the ward was won by an MNS candidate.
The senior BJP politician reflected on the outcome. "The strategy paid dividends. This will change the political equations in favour of the BJP in all six divisions of the area. However, the party has not yet experimented with this approach in Ward 14. We will decide on our future moves there at the appropriate time," the politician added, hinting at further strategic expansions.
This electoral success marks a significant shift in Nashik's local political landscape, demonstrating how strategic inductions can break long-standing regional strongholds, even amidst internal party conflict.
