Ravi Landge elected 27th mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Sharmila Babar deputy mayor

At Friday’s meeting to elect the mayor and deputy mayor, Kalbhor withdrew her nomination, clearing the way for Babar’s election as Deputy Mayor.

Prashant Shitole has been appointed as the Leader of the House and Bhausaheb Bhoir of NCP as the Leader of Opposition.

The special meeting was conducted under the chairmanship of presiding officer Deepak Taware and in the presence of Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar. Municipal Secretary Mukesh Kolap initially provided information regarding the proceedings of the meeting, followed by the election process.

Ravi Landge had been elected as a corporator from the Bhosari area for a second time. On both occasions, he was elected unopposed. This year, he was the first corporator in Maharashtra to be elected unopposed, a trend that was later followed by more than 65 corporators across various municipal corporations in the state.

These unopposed elections triggered protests from the Opposition, which alleged that most of the unopposed corporators belonged to the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena. Opposition parties claimed that money and muscle power were used to discourage electoral contests.

After being elected the 27th Mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Landge said he would work for the city’s all-around development.

Focus on all round development

“The concept of ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India) presented under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not just a policy but a direction that brings positive change to the lives of every citizen. On the same lines, I resolve to make Pimpri-Chinchwad a developed, smart, and self-reliant city. Pimpri-Chinchwad is a leading city in the country industrially and educationally and residentially. My primary goal will be the planned, balanced, and citizen-centric development of this city,” said the newly elected Mayor.

He emphasised that the focus will be on strengthening basic amenities such as water supply, drainage, roads, transport, health, sanitation, and education. “The goal of the Bharatiya Janata Party is antyodaya (serving the last person in line). I am committed to ensuring that development reaches the last segment of society,” he said.

“I would first like to express my heartfelt gratitude to every resident of Pimpri-Chinchwad for entrusting me with this responsibility. I view this election as a respect for democratic values and the city’s collective progress. As the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) completes 100 years, I am grateful to the party for giving a Swayamsevak like me the opportunity to serve as Mayor,” he said.

He expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state party president Ravindra Chavan, Minister Chandrakant Patil, as well as local MLAs and MLCs Mahesh Landge, Shankar Jagtap, Uma Khapre, Amit Gorkhe, and BJP city president Shatrughan Kate. “By appointing me as Mayor, the party has honoured the struggle of my late uncle, Ankushrao Landge,” he noted. He also thanked Deputy Mayor Sharmila Babar, Leader of the House Prashant Shitole, and colleagues from both the ruling and opposition parties.

The Mayor concluded by saying that channels of communication will remain open to increase citizen participation in development. Strict monitoring of the quality of work and timely redressal of grievances will be ensured. “This responsibility is not just a position; it is a commitment to the city’s future. I will work with my full strength to make the city cleaner, safer, and more developed,” he said.

During the meeting, the House observed a two-minute silence in memory of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash last week. Pawar was widely credited with driving the development of Pimpri-Chinchwad over the past two decades when the NCP was in power.

Paying tribute, BJP corporator Prashant Shitole said, “The PCMC will set up a grand memorial in honour of Ajit Pawar. The suggestion has come from MLA Mahesh Landge. The BJP will work while taking everyone into confidence.”

Most of the 128 newly elected corporators attended the election meeting. Supporters of both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor gathered at the PCMC headquarters. However, unlike previous occasions, there were no celebrations following Ajit Pawar’s death, often described as the architect of Pimpri-Chinchwad’s development.

The event was attended by newly elected corporators, Additional Commissioners Vijaykumar Khorate, Trupti Sandbhor, and Vikrant Bagade, Municipal Secretary Mukesh Kolap, Joint Commissioner Manoj Lonkar, Deputy Commissioner Anna Bodade, Chief Security Officer Uday Jarande, Special Officer Kiran Gaikwad, various department heads, and a large number of citizens.