The political landscape in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad is witnessing significant turmoil ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. Major parties, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), have triggered widespread discontent by denying tickets to several of their own long-time workers. This strategic move, aimed at accommodating aspirants who recently switched from rival camps, has led to a wave of rebellion, with many seasoned politicians now contesting as independents or joining opposing factions.
Large-Scale Inductions Trigger Ticket Denials
The core of the controversy lies in the recent mass inductions from rival parties. In Pimpri Chinchwad alone, at least 20 former corporators and hopefuls from other parties joined the BJP in the days leading up to ticket distribution, while another eight to ten joined the NCP. This influx of new members directly impacted the prospects of nearly 25 local party workers who had been preparing for the polls for months. The list of those denied nominations includes multiple former corporators and candidates who finished as runners-up in the 2017 civic polls.
Prominent figures affected include NCP women's city president Kavita Alhat and Vikrant Lande, the son of former MLA Vilas Lande. The trend of sidelining loyalists was not limited to lower-level workers. In Pimpri Chinchwad, several high-profile leaders who recently changed sides were rewarded, including former mayor Sanjog Waghere, former deputy mayors Prabhakar Waghere and Rahul Misal, and former standing committee chairpersons Prashant Shitole, Seema Sawale, and Usha Waghere.
Pune City Mirrors the Trend
A similar pattern emerged within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits, where the BJP prioritized new entrants over party loyalists, even in traditional strongholds like Kothrud. Prithviraj Sutar of Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the BJP and secured a ticket within days of his defection. Furthermore, former NCP corporators Sachin Dodke and Sayali Wanjale, who had stayed with Sharad Pawar's faction after the party split, also joined the BJP and received nominations from the Warje area.
In a notable cross-party shift, Ulhas (Aba) Bagul, a former deputy mayor and senior Congress corporator, recently joined Shiv Sena and is now contesting from Sahakarnagar on their ticket. Across all parties, it is estimated that nearly 30 corporators who were elected in the 2017 PMC polls failed to secure tickets this time. Party officials have attributed these decisions to internal reviews, performance assessments, and seat-sharing agreements.
Rebellion and Last-Minute Maneuvers
Anticipating a fierce backlash, parties deliberately delayed announcing their official candidate lists until after the nomination deadline had passed. In a clear move to control rebellion, the BJP in Pimpri Chinchwad submitted its AB forms directly to election offices in the final two hours before the deadline, bypassing the candidates themselves.
The resentment among denied workers is palpable. Shekhar Chinchwade, whose wife Karuna Chinchwade won the 2017 elections on a BJP ticket from ward 17, expressed his frustration after both were denied tickets. "I worked hard in the ward for several years and was with the BJP for over 14 years, but I was denied a ticket at the last moment," said Chinchwade, who has now filed his nomination as an NCP candidate. Their ward ticket was given to Aasha Suryawanshi, a former NCP corporator who switched parties just last month.
Another anonymous BJP aspirant highlighted a recurring grievance: "This time I was prepared, but the party inducted the same candidate who defeated me earlier and denied me a ticket." This sentiment echoes widely, as the number of 2017 runners-up denied tickets this time is particularly high, primarily due to the induction of their former opponents.
The fallout from these decisions is now shaping the electoral battle, with a significant number of experienced leaders entering the fray as independents or under new party banners, setting the stage for a highly competitive and unpredictable election.
