Forget wins, oppn parties didn’t even get runner-up spots in almost 90% councillor seats in Pune
In Talegaon Dabhade as well, the NCP won 17 councillor seats, BJP won 10, and an independent candidate won one seat. No opposition party had runner-up spots in any of the seats here as well.
Written by Soham ShahDecember 23, 2025 09:22 AM IST
4 min read
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In Alandi, BJP won 15 councillor seats, Shiv Sena won four seats, while NCP won two seats.
Not just a dismal performance in Pune district in the number of councillors elected, Maharashtra opposition parties did not even get runner-up spots in almost 90 per cent of the councillor seats in the municipal council elections, results of which were declared on Sunday. Ruling alliance members BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, contesting the elections individually in many areas, managed to capture a majority of the vote share in the district. In many cases, opposition parties, Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) were kept out of the picture due to this vote capture, and also due to the fact that they did not even put up candidates.
According to election data shared by the Pune District Information Office, opposition parties did not win the seat or even get the runner-up post in approximately 350 of the 398 councillor seats in the district. The opposition party combine won 14 councillor seats and got runner-up spots in just 33 seats. This result shows a big dent for Congress, a major player in the district in the past.
Local bodies where opposition parties did not get any seats or runner-up spots
In Alandi, the BJP won 15 councillor seats, the Shiv Sena won four seats, while the NCP won two seats. In the runner-up list, BJP had five spots, Shiv Sena three spots, NCP 12, while one person was elected unopposed.
In Saswad, the fight was between the BJP and the Shiv Sena with the former bagging 13 seats while the latter bagged nine seats. BJP got the runner-up spot in eight seats, Shiv Sena in 12, while two councillors were elected unopposed.
In Bhor, a similar contest played out between the BJP and the NCP. The BJP won 16 councillor seats while the NCP bagged four seats. In a diametrically opposite situation, NCP got the runner-up spot in 16 seats while the BJP got it in four seats.
In Jejuri, the NCP won 17 councillor seats while the BJP won two councillor seats while one seat was won by an independent. The BJP got three runner-up spots while the NCP got three runner-up spots.
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In Rajgurunagar, Shiv Sena won 10 councillor seats, NCP five seats, BJP four seats, and independents two seats. The opposition parties did not get any seats in the runner-up spots here as well, which were divided amongst NCP, BJP, Shiv Sena and independents.
In Talegaon Dabhade as well, the NCP won 17 councillor seats, BJP won 10, and an independent candidate won one seat. No opposition party had runner-up spots in any of the seats here as well.
In Vadgaon, NCP bagged nine councillor seats, BJP got six seats, while independent candidates got two seats. NCP, BJP, Shiv Sena and an independent candidate shared the runner-up spots in all of these seats as well, keeping the opposition out.
In many places, the opposition did not even put up candidates. For example, in Talegaon Dabhade, 19 councillors got elected unopposed.
‘BJP has poached leaders’
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Akshay Jain, state Youth Congress general secretary and a candidate in the upcoming PMC elections, shared his views on why the Congress struggled to this extent. He told The Indian Express, “In local body elections, the party matters but faces also matter. BJP has poached our leaders, which led to us lacking faces. Mass leaders like MLAs Samgram Thopate and Sanjay Jagtap were poached by the BJP from Congress this year.”
He added, “However, the Congress is satisfied with the result of the election. Our strike rate and vote percentage has increased from Vidhan Sabha election last year. We have to work on improving it further and it is now an opportunity for young grassroots faces to come up.”
Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting.
Professional Background
Role: Correspondent covering education and city affairs in Pune.
Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics.
Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories:
1. Investigations & Governance
"Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents.
"44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families.
2. Education & Campus Life
Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University.
"Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial.
"Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers.
3. Human Rights & Social Issues
"Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India.
"'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying.
Signature Style
Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty.
X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More
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