Bypoll for 2 PMC seats today

The bypoll was necessitated after Deepak Mankar, elected on a Congress ticket from panel 26, resigned to contest on an NCP ticket in the Assembly elections while Pramod Bhangire, who was elected on a Shiv Sena ticket, resigned from panel 45 to contest the Assembly election on an MNS ticket.

At present, the ruling NCP, with the support of independents and the RPI (A), has a strength of 54 in the 152-member house. The Congress and the MNS have 28 corporators each while the BJP has 26 corporators and Shiv Sena 14 corporators in PMC.

The bypoll has made the contest wide open for the post of leader of opposition in the PMC while giving an opportunity for MNS and BJP to jump in the race while posing a challenge to the Congress to retain the post held by its leader.

In panel 26, Mankar, contesting on an NCP ticket, is facing a stiff challenge from former BJP corporator Dilip Umbarkar. In panel 45, Bhangire is contesting as an independent candidate to retain the seat he held as Shiv Sena corporator.

The BJP made a clean sweep in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections but not in the recently held Cantonment elections. The BJP won five of the eight seats in the Pune Cantonment Board while it could not snatch the powers of Khadki Cantonment Board from Congress.