Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC

After putting breaks on the soaring political strength of BJP in the Pune district by dominating in elections of local self government body, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has a major role to play in challenging the BJP’s winning streak in PMC and PCMC elections. Both the civic bodies have been without an elected body for nearly four years. BJP had been ruling both the civic bodies before administrators were appointed.

The BJP has taken over the political reins of the city from 2014. It first snatched the Pune Lok Sabha from Congress and then won all eight Assembly seats in Pune city when every major party contested assembly polls separately.

The BJP maintained its winning momentum in 2017 civic polls as it won 97 seats of the 162 seats. Thereafter, the BJP’s strength declined a bit with party losing two seats in 2019 Assembly elections but it retained the Pune Lok Sabha seat.

Split in NCP
The NCP had come to power in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 2007 by ending the supremacy of city Congress-led by Suresh Kalmadi. The NCP front was led by Ajit Pawar and its hold on civic body continued in 2012 civic polls.

Political analyst predict that split in NCP in 2023 will have its impact on the 2026 elections of both PMC and PCMC. Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) have been at loggerheads in Pune but leaders of both the parties are advocating pre-poll alliance of both the political parties.

In Pimpri-Chinchwad, the NCP ruled for twenty years till it was ousted by BJP in 2017. The BJP ruled from 2017 to 2022, which was affected primarily by the Covid pandemic. In 2022, the state government had appointed an administrator. In 2017 itself, NCP had suffered serious setback as several of its leaders had crossed over to BJP which then won a brute majority in PCMC.

Poaching strong contenders
The BJP, to establish its supremacy again in civic bodies, is adopting strategy adopted for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. It has inducted several former heavyweight corporators, primarily belonging to NCP into its fold. In Pimpri-Chinchwad, NCP has done likewise, inducting three of BJP’s strong leaders.

The leaders inducted by BJP in Pune city include son of sitting legislator of NCP(SP), son of former NCP MP and daughter of former MNS legislator including a few former NCP corporators. “There are many from all the political parties willing to join the BJP. We have inducted only those popular with clean public image,” said Union minister and former city Mayor Murlidhar Mohol.

In Pimpri-Chinchwad, first NCP roped in three BJP corporators. BJP then responded by snatching 13 former NCP corporators. This includes former mayor and standing committee chiefs. BJP MLA Mahesh Landge has stated that his party has given a befitting reply to NCP.

The NCP has warned BJP that it will get back at it, highlighting how the duel between the two is hotting up in December cold.

Polls after nine years
Both PMC and PCMC will go for polls after almost nine years with the previous elections held in 2017 while the five year term expires in 2022. Thereafter, the elections were delayed due to Covid and a plea in the Supreme Court challenging the reservation of seats.
In the PMC election, voters elect a 165-member body with 83 seats reserved for women as per the state government rule and 82 seats for general category. The corporators will be elected from 41 wards, with four from 40 electoral wards and five from one electoral ward.

A total of 35,51,469 voters registered as on July 1 are eligible to vote for the civic polls. However, the PMC administration has found around three lakh voters with double entry in the electoral roll. The electoral roll had become a controversial issue with political parties demanding for correction to ensure fair elections.

In Pimpri-Chinchwad, there are 32 panels and 128 corporators, with 64 seats reserved for women candidates. There are 10 seats for Scheduled Caste candidates and two for Scheduled Tribe candidates besides 17 are OBC seats

The total voter count is around 17.30 lakh. Each panel will elect four candidates.

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