The political atmosphere in Pune has intensified ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launching a sharp attack on Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The controversy centers on the NCP's alliance backing female relatives of notorious gangsters as candidates.
BJP's Strong Condemnation of NCP's Candidate List
On Thursday, Murlidhar Mohol, a Member of Parliament and the BJP's in-charge for civic polls in Pune district, strongly criticized the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. He accused the party of hypocrisy for supporting women from the families of gangsters Bandu Andekar and Gajanan Marne in the upcoming civic polls.
"The Pune guardian minister (Ajit Pawar) talks about cracking down on criminals and eliminating the koyta gang, but these claims seem hollow when we look at their candidate list," Mohol stated. He emphasized that maintaining law and order is a primary duty of elected representatives and argued that giving tickets to people associated with criminals would disturb Pune's peace. He expressed confidence that wise citizens would respond through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
The Alliance and Controversial Nominations
The core of the dispute lies in the electoral arrangement between Ajit Pawar's NCP and the Republican Party of India (Kharat) faction. As part of this alliance, the Raviwar Peth-Rasta Peth ward has seen nominations filed by Sonali Andekar, the daughter-in-law of gangster Bandu Andekar, and Laxmi Andekar, his sister-in-law.
This political move follows a tragic history. Bandu Andekar's son, Vanraj, had contested and won the 2017 PMC election on an NCP ticket but was murdered on September 1, 2024. Now, Sonali and Laxmi have entered the fray. Although they filed their nominations under the RPI (Kharat) banner, they are expected to contest the election using the NCP's iconic clock symbol.
When questioned about these candidates, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar clarified that the specific seats were allocated to their alliance partner. "It is that party's decision to nominate candidates. I will issue a detailed statement on this later," Pawar said after a visit to the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial.
BJP Faces Its Own Candidate Scrutiny
In a twist that adds complexity to the narrative, the BJP is also facing questions about its own candidate selection. The party has fielded Pratibha Chorge, whose husband, Rohidas Chorge, has a criminal record.
When confronted about this, Murlidhar Mohol defended the BJP's choice, stating, "Pratibha has been involved in social work and has no criminal charges against her." He acknowledged the emergence of information about her husband's background and assured that "the party will review the matter."
BJP Candidate Withdraws Amid Social Media Storm
In a separate but related development, the BJP witnessed an internal candidate withdrawal. Puja More, the party's candidate from Ward number 2 of the PMC, pulled out her nomination on Wednesday. She cited intense trolling on social media platforms over her past critical remarks about former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Explaining her decision, More said, "Social media played a significant role in previous elections. If misleading information about me is being circulated online, it could harm the party's image. Therefore, I chose to step down as the BJP candidate."
MP Murlidhar Mohol commented on this development, revealing, "Some party workers opposed her candidature. The party collectively decided to replace the candidate for that seat."
The run-up to the Pune civic polls has thus become a battleground of allegations and counter-allegations concerning candidate backgrounds. With major parties trading charges over links to criminal elements, the focus has shifted squarely onto the ethical dimensions of candidate selection and its impact on urban governance and public safety.
