In victory, Landge pipes down, steers clear of Ajit

Landge said he wanted to express his gratitude to the people of Pimpri-Chinchwad. “The Devendra era is underway in Maharashtra. We will keep a 50-year vision in mind and work relentlessly. Our poll agenda was development and we won on the development plank. I want to thank all the voters who stood by us. Some of our party leaders lost by a small margin but the next time we will ensure that they all will win,” he said.

Landge said, while ensuring development of Pimpri-Chinchwad, BJP will take all 128 corporators along. “We will keep the people as our focus and take all along 128 corporators to ensure development of the industrial city,” he said.

In a video message, Landge avoided mentioning Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s name, who had targeted him during campaigning, making allegations of massive corruption. Ajit Pawar had vowed to “slay the demon” of corruption and looting of public money in PCMC. When Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressed a poll rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad, he advised Landge not to lose his cool and instead campaign on the development plank.

Another BJP Chinchwad MLA Shankar Jagtap, who handled the party’s campaigning in Pimpri-Chinchwad, said, “The BJP won as many as 84 seats. Before this, the civic elections were held under the leadership of Laxmanbhau Jagtap. In 2023, Laxmanbhau passed away. He was instrumental in several civic victories. He had an iron grip on PCMC. And the same charisma was witnessed again in the PCMC poll this time. We have carried forward his legacy, though his absence was felt deeply.”

“The opposition had raised the decibel level by making allegations of corruption. However, the BJP paraded its achievements through the implementation of development projects. The people gave the opposition a befitting reply. In Chinchwad area, BJP won 39 seats while in Bhosari, the party won 35 seats and in Pimpri, 12,” he said.

BJP sources said the party had directed local leadership not to complicate matters and instead focus on development. “There are clear cut instructions from our state leadership to give a reply to our opponents by doing good work,” said a BJP leader.

A couple as corporators; sons of MLA, MP in PCMC

Surendra and Aishwarya Pathare are the sole couple in the PMC elections who have been elected as corporators in the PMC elections. The couple, having contested on BJP tickets, are the son and daughter-in-law of sitting NCP(SP) legislator Bapu Pathare.

Similarly, in PCMC Vishwajit Barne, son of Shiv Sena MLA Shrirang Barne, has become a corporator for the first time from Thergaon seat. Siddharth Bansode, son of Deputy Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Anna Bansode, has for the first time become a corporator from Nehrunagar area. Kushagra Kadam, son of former Pimpri-Chinchwad Mayor Mangala Kadam, has won from Sambhajinagar area. He contested from BJP and his mother is in NCP.

Most of the corporators in PMC will be newcomers, with young faces like Kunal Tilak, Swarda Bapat, Raghvendra and Harshvardhan Mankar making it to the PMC elected body. Similarly, there are several women who are first timers in PCMC like Shruti Wakadkar, Manisha Lande, Varsha Jagtap and others.