Know Your Panel

The saffron combine which is on a high after the Khadakwasla bypoll has a good hold in the area. The newly formed panel is a merger of three wards_ 134 of newly elected MLA for Khadakwasla Bhimrao Tapkir,corporator Varsha Tapkir from 133 and ward no 132 of Congress corporator Sanjay Nande.

With MLA Bhimrao Tapkir not contesting the polls,there are a huge number of probables who would want to contest the forthcoming civic polls. Tapkir says that since he will not be contesting and the panel is free of reservation for male candidates,there would be a number of probables. “The party has to decide on the contestant yet,” he says.

Yet another BJP corporator’s area falls in this panel who has been working in the area. Varsha Tapkir who is the corporator from the party is the name which is in the forefront for the panel reserved for OBC women category. “Sitting corporators do get priority and I am from the OBC category and with 60 per cent of the area covered in the panel,I do stand to have a good chance with the panel being reserved,” says Tapkir.

With the ward being free of reservation for males,the names from the BJP doing the rounds include Vishwas Ahire,Uday Jagtap,Deepak Mane and Appa Parande,say BJP party workers.

With Bhimrao’s and Varsha Tapkir’s areas covering almost 40 per cent of the area each,Congress corporator Sanjay Nande who has 20 per cent of his ward in this panel will have to struggle to make his presence feltl. For Congress,Nande and Shrirang Aher’s names are in the front.

The NCP too is not giving up and names of Shivalal Bhosale,M Khedekar,Sunil Kedekar,Vikas Chavan and Mauli Darwatkar are doing roundsl. With the saffron alliance on a new high after the newly elected MLA from the ward,there is a huge tilt in favour of the party,say political watchers.

From MNS,names of Ganesh Bhintande and Hanumant Bhosale are doing the rounds as probablest.

Reservations spring problems for ruling parties

Chandan Haygunde

The panel has been constituted mainly by merging the Gandhi Nagar and Kalyani Nagar electoral wards. Both wards are currently represented by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporators Bapusaheb Karne and Jaiprakash Galande respectively. MLA Bapu Pathare too emerged victorious from the area by defeating Shiv Sena’s Ajay Bhosale.

NCP has a strong grip over this panel. However,political sources say that due to reservations for open category and Scheduled Caste women,it would not be possible for NCP to give ticket to both sitting corporators. The Congress also has a strong vote bank in certain patches. John Paul of the Congress had lost to Karne by a small margin in the last civic elections.

Karne is again seeking ticket from NCP for the coming civic elections. “We have done development works worth Rs 5.5 crores in areas like Tridal Nagar,Shanti Rakshak society. Water problems of large has been sorted out. We would win by larger argin this time,” he said.

Meanwhile,Shiv Sena and BJP are struggling to get influential candidates for this panel. So the possibility of their alliance partner –- Republican Party of India (RPI)’s candidates being fielded from this panel cannot be ruled out. Shiv Sena’s Bablu Galiyal however feels that elections would not be easy for NCP. “People are not happy with sitting corporators and would vote for change,” he said. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) is looking for influential political workers for contesting election from this panel. Also,none of the political parties any known faces for scheduled caste women category.

Saffron combine has an opportunity to grab this one

Ajay Khape

This panel has been created by bringing in the area of existing electoral wards — Kamalnayan Bajaj hospital and Agriculture College – represented by NCP leader Anil Bhosale and Surekha Salunkhe respectively. The panel holds prominence as it is bastion of the NCP leader Anil Bhosale,who is now elected as member of State Legislative Council and was also the chief of city NCP unit.

Bhosale cannot contest the civic polls but will definitely continue to have an upperhand in the political developments of the area. He is likely to rope in someone from his family to contest the panel and maintain the family hold. However,the panel is likely to see the Congress going all out as the area has population from slums as well as in housing societies.

With the NCP’s powerful leader not in the fray for sure,the opposition of Shiv Sena and BJP are also likely to double up their efforts and try to upset the candidate of ruling parties with the RPI joining hands with the saffron combine and having strength in the slum pockets. There are many probables for the saffron combine and leading them is Rajendra Joshi,who has been working in the area for the last few years. The MNS will try to make inroad in the panel after its good show in the state legislative assembly elections of Shivajinagar.

In the women’s category,the seat is reserved for a Schedule Caste candidate and no party has any strong contestant to claim the seat. Therefore,the political parties will soon launch hunt for women candidates to contest the civic polls from the panel.

The panel is among the busiest of area of the city as it has the important stations of public transport — Shivajinagar railway station,state transport stand and PMPML bus depot. It also has many people visiting the area for employment and education. It has agriculture college,state education board,All India Radio office,sugar commissionorate,GSDA office and other state government offices. The old Pune-Mumbai highway passes through the panel and gives direct road connection to Pimpri Chinchwad.

MNS throws up a challenge here

Aaditi Jathar Lakade

This panel has been formed by merger of old electoral ward numbers 63 -Vanaj Company,35 per cent of ward 60 -Ramkrishna Paramhans Nagar and 35 per cent of ward 62 -Mahatma Society,represented by MNS corporator Kishore Shinde,Shiv Sena corporator Ankush Tidke and MNS corporator Rajabhau Gorde respectively.

This area has been dominated by the saffron parties for more than a decade starting former mayor and Sena MLA Sashikant Sutar who was elected as the corporator in the 1990s. Sutar’s wife Rasika took over as the corporator in 1997 after the 33 percent reservation for women was introduced. In 2007,MNS candidates Kishore Shinde and Rajabhau Gorde emerged as winners from this area,and the domination of saffron parties continued.

In the 2012 elections,the Election Commission has reserved this panel for open (women) and open categories. After Rasika Sutar’s term as a corporator in 1997,it is the first time that this area will be represented by a woman corporator.

“The new reservation will make the presence of MNS stronger in this area. Since 100 per cent of my ward is included in this panel,I shall contest from this panel. There won’t be any competition between Gorde and Tidke as they are contesting from another panels,” said Shinde. He added that although Shiv Sena’s Sham Deshpande is expected to contest from this panel,”people know me and my work and I am sure I will continue as a corporator.”

The existing corporators claim that they have streamlined the daily garbage collection from individual households,developed a garden,a gymnasium and a recreation hall on PMC open plots,completed a development plan road in the crowded residential area from Ashish Garden to Paud road.