Journalism of Courage
Area profile and political background:This has emerged as the largest geographically spread panel in the newly constituted 76 panels for the civic polls of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) which would make the probables to do more legwork compared to others to reach out to voters during the elections. It is mainly formed by merging the entire Dhanori and Vidyanagar electoral wards with part inclusion of the Lohegaon Airport ward.
The panel has the domination of the NCP with its leader Bapu Pathare coming out victorious from the area in the 2009 state assembly polls. In previous civic polls, Dhanori ward saw a tough fight between Congress and NCP with Congress leader Rekha Tingre winning the poll with a narrow margin of 99 votes. The Vidyanagar ward is represented by NCP corporator Sunil Tingre while the Lohegaon Airport also saw NCP candidate Bhimrao Kharat winning the polls. There is not much of support to Shiv Sena,BJP and MNS from the area.
The Congress has a good presence in the ward that was a bastion of former legislator Chandrakant Chhajed. It will be a straight fight between ruling NCP and Congress.
Residents’ issues: Drinking water supply is a long-pending issue the opposition may well take advantage of. “This problem has been resolved to a great extent considering the situation in the past. The project of drawing water from Bhama Askhed dam is also getting clearance of irrigation department, said sitting Congress corporator Rekha Tingre,who is seeking ticket from NCP this year.
No political party has given assurance of compensation to the residents for restrictions on construction in the area due to airport. “The political parties need to take a stand on this issue, said Vickrant Mengde,resident of Vidyanagar.
Panel 1
Prominent landmarks Dhanori gaothan,Mujobawasti,Barmashel slums,Dadachi Padal,Khandwewasti,Gurudwara Bhairavnagar,Kashinathnagar,Ambanagari,Anand Park,Kalwadwasti,Vidyanagar (Part),Khandwewasti,Gurudwarawasti,Lohegaon (part),Adarsh colony (Part),Himgiri Vidyalaya,Lohegaon airport etc.
POPULATION 33,757 RESERVATIONS Open (Women) and Open category.
Area profile and political background: This panel has been constituted by merging electoral wards of Dahanukar Colony,70 percent of Kothrud gaon and 30 per cent of Mahatma Society represented by Shiv Senas Shyam Deshpande,Chandrakant Mokate and MNS leader Rajendra Gorade respectively.
These wards have been essentially dominated by Shiv Sena candidates,with Chandrakant Mokate also representing Kothrud assembly constituency. Though the panel is dominated by Shiv Sena,with its new reservation for OBC and Open (Women),Deshpande will have to find a new ward for ensuring his place in the next general body.
Deshpande has been a corporator of the Dahanukar colony ward for the past 10 years. Considering the work I have done,I am sure that the reservation will not affect the party. I am confident that Shiv Sena will win the two seats of this panel as well as two seats of another panel from where I will be contesting, he said.
In the past,Deshpande had to get his wife elected from the area as it was reserved for women,but later on got himself elected after the reservation of the ward enabled him to contest. The Shiv Sena has a upper hand in the area but Deshpande and Mokate,who is elected to the assembly now,are competitors. To ensure that the party does not suffer due to their differences,the Shiv Sena had appointed Mokate as deputy mayor and Deshpande as party leader in the PMC in 2007. Both of them had claimed the party ticket for assembly polls in Kothrud in 2009 and the party preferred Mokate as he was party activist since his youth.
The Shiv Sena cannot be over-confident of getting its candidate elected from the area as the MNS,formed after splitting of Shiv Sena,has managed to show its strength during the assembly polls by giving a tough fight to Mokate.
Residents’ issue: The area in the panel largely consists of middle-class housing societies with Marathi speaking population that have their roots in the central part of the city i.e. peth areas. Some parts of the area also consists of one or two slums. The main issue faced by residents of the panel is traffic congestion. It becomes difficult to walk even in the bylanes of some societies,” Vidyadhar Tarkar,a resident of Tejas society. Encroachments and garbage accumulation is also an issue in certain localities.
Panel 33
PROMINENT LANDMARKS Kothrud Gaothan,Tejas Society,Tejas nagar,Happy Colony,Dahanukar Colony,Gandhibhavan,Laxminagar slums,Rahul nagar,Cummins India Limited,Kothrud ward office etc.
POPULATION -31,245 RESERVATION Other backward Class and Open (Women)
Area profile and political background:This panel has been constituted by merging Vadgaon Budhruk and Manikbaug electoral wards represented by NCP leaders Vikas Dangat and Shailesh Charvad respectively. To add o the NCP domination is the fact that it is also a part of the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency represented by Supriya Sule,daughter of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
However,the NCP domination had received a severe jolt during the 2009 assembly polls with late MNS leader Ramesh Wanjale defeating sitting corporator Vikas Dangat to make it to the state assembly from Khadakwasla assembly segment,part of which is also included in the panel.
Though this panel is considered to be safe for the NCP,efforts by MNS to gain sympathy vote in the backdrop of its legislator Wanjale’s death can play spoilsport for NCP. Moreover,the NCP is also likely to face factionalism as only one sitting corporator can contest in this panel,since the other seat is reserved for women. In 2007,an NCP candidate lost to rebel Dangat,who contested as independent,but later extended support to NCP in PMC.
NCP corporator from Manikbaug Shailesh Charvad is hopeful to once again get the party ticket for the same area,but is also ready to shift new panel if need be. The reservation allows only one of us,me or Dagat,to contest from the area. We will abide by the party decision and continue to have cordial relations even is one of us did not get party ticket to contest from this panel, Charvad said adding that he would also stake claim on the seat from the adjoining panel that covers Dhayari.
This panel has a mixed population staying in housing societies,old Vadgaon village and slums. However,it has seen a major transformation in the demographic profile in the last five years with construction of new housing societies.
Residents’ issues: “The main issue faced by residents of the panel is lack of alternative road connecting the city. Increased population in the area has led to traffic chaos on Sinhagad road which is also an arterial road for heavy vehicles and travel buses to get on the Mumbai-Bangalore highway, said Yogesh Waghmare,resident of Manik Baug.
The sitting corporators have failed in providing basic civic facilities like a civic hospital,garden,cultural hall,vegetable market for the residents. The PMC has also been slow with the work of a proposed canal bridge connecting Manikbaug with Vadgaon Budhruk. In the absence of the bridge,residents of Vadgaon Budruk have to travel two extra kilometers to get to Sinhgad road.
The PMC has also not been able to curb illegal construction in the area and is yet to clear the encroachments on the nullah. Illicit liquor sale,failure to protect the hills and curb encroachments on footpaths and cycle tracks are other issues of the panel.
Panel 55
PROMINENT LANDMARKS:,/b>Sinhagad Technical Institute,Vadgaon Budhruk,Ganesh Park,Kirtinagar,Shivshakti society,Shevantabai Namdeo Dangat school,Vadgaon Water Purification plant,Tukainagar,Manik Baug,Jadhavnagar,Sinhagad Road Telephone exchange etc.
POPULATION: 30,383 RESERVATIONS: Other Backward Class (Women) and Open category.
Area profile and political background: This panel has been constituted by merging three electoral wards -Shindechhatri,40 per cent of NIBM and 20 per cent of Wanowrie represented by NCP,BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress respectively. Thus,the panel is likely to witness a tough fight between all the three parties.
Since the BJP-ShivSena had dominated in 2001 panel system,they are confident that the new panel system will also help them repeat their victory. Moreover,part of the area falls under Shirur Loksabha constituency with Sena’s Shivaji Adhalrao Patil as MP and part of it falls in Hadapsar Assembly constituency headed by Sena MLA Mahadeo Babar pointing to the dominance of Sena in the area.
Sena corporator from NIBM Tanaji Lonkar says that since one seat in the panel is reserved for OBC (woman),Sena or BJP can take a call on the woman candidate,while Sena can contest for the other seat reserved for open category. Although I have just 40 per cent of my previous ward,I am happy that NIBM area,Grafikon society,Salunke Vihar road and Siddharth nagar and Azad nagar is included in this panel. I have been working in the nearby areas and our MLA Mahadeo Babar who earlier represented the ward is known for his work. We have been dominating this area for the last 25 years and hence I am hopeful that the new demarcations will work for us,”he says.
NCP corporator Ratnaprabha Jagtap has seen her family represent Shindechhatri ward for the last three generations. The open category can again be represented by a woman candidate besides the OBC candidature for woman. From my husband to my father-in-law all have been representing NCP seats and I see this panel as a stronghold of the NCP,”says Jagtap.
The 20 per cent area of Wanowrie which will see erstwhile loyalist Balasaheb Shivarkar’s son Abhijit Shivarkar too eying this panel. This is a good chance for me to add Congress foothold in this area,” he said. This panel is a mix of cosmopolitan societies as well as slum areas.
Residents’ issues: The prominent issues faced by residents is water shortage and good roads. Although there are a two gardens,the citizens of the area have put up their demands for more gardens here.
The likely candidates to contest for the general category in the panel are said to be Shivaji Kedari from the Congress seat,Abhijit Shivarkar from Congress,Shiv Sena’s Tanaji Lonkar and Prashant Jagtap,Ranjana Jagtap’ son from NCP.
Panel 61
PROMINENT LANDMARKS -Kondhwa,Grafikon society,Kedarwasti,Azad nagar,Salunkhe Vihar road,Netaji nagar,SRPF group 2 area,Vikas Nagar,Jagtap nagar
POPULATION: 31,171
RESERVATIONS: OBC (woman candidate) and open category
