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Voters chose values over politics, says former mayor Prashant Jagtap after Congress win

Congress, BJP wrest 2 seats each in Wanowrie-Salunke Vihar ward

2 min readPuneUpdated: Jan 16, 2026 10:12 PM IST

Prashant Jagtap won by endorsing 'Phule-Ambedkar-Shahu ideology,' while the ward split seats evenly between Congress and BJP. (Source: FB)

Former mayor Prashant Jagtap, who recently switched from the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) to the Congress, registered a decisive win from Prabhag 18 (Wanowrie-Salunke Vihar) despite the ward recording the second lowest voter turnout in Pune.

Jagtap defeated Abhijit Shivarkar, who had shifted allegiance from the Congress to the BJP, by a margin of 1,534 votes.

Thanking voters for endorsing the ‘Phule-Ambedkar-Shahu ideology,’ Jagtap said his victory reflected public faith in principles over politics. “Winning on a Congress ticket exactly 16 days after leaving the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) shows that people value ethics and integrity. They understood the reasons for my decision and supported my honest approach,” he said.

In Wanowrie-Salunke Vihar ward, however, the honours were split evenly between the Congress and BJP. On Thursday, the overall voting turnout for the civic elections in Pune was 52.42 per cent. The lowest turnout of 45.12 per cent was in Aundh-Bopodi ward, followed by 45.54 per cent in Wanowrie-Salunke Vihar.

Apart from Jagtap. Sahil Kedari from the Congress also won by a margin of 1,372 votes and defeated Dhanraj Ghogare of the BJP.

Kedari said ‘Prashant dada’ supported him, while his father Shivaji Kedari guided him throughout the journey. He added that the victory, which came after a gap of 15 years, was also a result of public dissatisfaction with the situation on the ground. According to him, people placed their trust in him because of his work and the win belongs to all the voters of the constituency.

Jagtap’s mother Ratnaprabha, however, lost the election and in the panel reserved for women Kalindi Pune of the BJP won by 3,163 votes. In another panel, Komal Shendkar of the BJP won by 4,912 votes against Congress’ Shamika Jambhulkar.

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Counting of votes commenced on Friday morning and results were declared after four rounds. As per the results, Prashant Jagtap polled 15,547 votes as against Shivarkar, who got 13,719 votes. Sahil Kedari secured 14,382 votes while Dhanraj Ghogare got 13,080 votes. Kalindi Punde polled 16,614 while Ratnaprabha Jagtap got 12,844 votes. Komal Shendkar polled 15,935 votes and defeated Shamika Jambhulkar polled 12,851 votes. A total of 2,741 polled for None of the Above Candidates (NOTA).

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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