Former Mayor Prashant Jagtap Credits Values Over Politics for Congress Win in Pune Ward

Former mayor Prashant Jagtap registered a decisive victory in Prabhag 18, the Wanowrie-Salunke Vihar ward of Pune. He won on a Congress ticket just sixteen days after switching from the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction). Jagtap defeated his BJP rival Abhijit Shivarkar by a margin of 1,534 votes.

Jagtap thanked voters for endorsing what he called the 'Phule-Ambedkar-Shahu ideology.' He stated his win reflected public faith in principles over politics. "Winning on a Congress ticket exactly 16 days after leaving the NCP shows that people value ethics and integrity," Jagtap said. "They understood the reasons for my decision and supported my honest approach."

Ward Sees Even Split Between Congress and BJP

In the Wanowrie-Salunke Vihar ward, however, the honours split evenly between the Congress and the BJP. Apart from Jagtap, Congress candidate Sahil Kedari also won his seat. Kedari defeated BJP's Dhanraj Ghogare by a margin of 1,372 votes.

Kedari credited 'Prashant dada' for his support and his father Shivaji Kedari for guidance. He said the victory, coming after a gap of fifteen years, resulted from public dissatisfaction with ground realities. Kedari added that people trusted him due to his work, and the win belongs to all voters of the constituency.

Low Voter Turnout Marks the Election

The overall voting turnout for Pune's civic elections on Thursday stood at 52.42 percent. The Wanowrie-Salunke Vihar ward recorded the second lowest turnout at 45.54 percent. Only the Aundh-Bopodi ward saw a lower participation rate of 45.12 percent.

Not all candidates from the Jagtap family found success. Jagtap's mother, Ratnaprabha, lost her election bid. In the panel reserved for women, BJP's Kalindi Punde won by 3,163 votes. In another panel, BJP's Komal Shendkar secured victory by 4,912 votes against Congress candidate Shamika Jambhulkar.