Premium

Ticket tangle hits PMC polls as allies defy seat-sharing deals

The BJP had announced its alliance with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena but the local leaders of Shiv Sena protested against the treatment given to them by the BJP during the seat-sharing talks.

3 min readPuneDec 31, 2025 08:26 PM IST

Senior Sena leaders Uday Samant and Vijay Shivtare clarified that the alliance with BJP was intact (Representational image/File)

After the chaos for filing the nomination for the PMC election on Tuesday, political parties in Pune are busy again in negotiating with their respective alliance partners as most parties defied agreements and distributed party tickets to many candidates in haste.

The BJP had announced its alliance with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena but the local leaders of Shiv Sena protested against the treatment given to them by the BJP during the seat-sharing talks. On the last day of filing nominations, the Shiv Sena issued letters to its aspirants in all 165 seats of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). “The BJP offered only 16 seats to us, which was not acceptable. Thus, we decided to file nominations in all seats,” said Shiv Sena’s Pune city chief Nana Bhangire.

Senior Sena leaders Uday Samant and Vijay Shivtare clarified that the alliance with BJP was intact and the top party leadership will resolve the issue through discussions before the last day of withdrawing nominations. “The nomination forms have been submitted for seats across the city. From my experience, I can say there will hardly be any candidate who will be withdrawing his nomination,” said Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Dhangekar.

Meanwhile, the BJP is learnt to have filed nominations for 165 seats by, including seven aspirants of alliance partner RPI(A), who will be contesting on a common symbol.

In the alliance between Ajit Pawar-led NCP and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), there were last minute changes with many NCP(SP) aspirants contesting on NCP symbol and vice versa. “The arrangement of candidates to contest on symbols of each other’s party was done based on popularity of the symbol in the different areas,” said an NCP leader.

In Gokhalenagar area, NCP (SP) aspirant Nilesh Nikam was made to contest on NCP’s symbol and ensure that all four candidates of the alliance contest on one symbol. Similarly, the four NCP aspirants in Kondhwa-NIBM area were made to contest as NCP (SP) candidates, considering the popularity of the symbol in the area after the response in the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, in which the NCP(SP)
won the Lok Sabha election while its candidate got maximum votes in the assembly election.

“If there are candidates of both NCP and NCP(SP) contesting for the same seat, then one will be asked to withdraw to ensure there is no division of votes,” said an NCP(SP) leader.

Story continues below this ad

In the Congress, Shiv Sena(UBT) and MNS alliance, the situation is much better with the alliance partners sticking to their agreement of seat-sharing, except on a few seats. “We were clear about the seat-sharing formula. However, if there is a problem in a few seats, it would be resolved through discussion and the weak candidate of either party will be asked to withdraw from the fray,” said a Congress leader.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability. Professional Background Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens. Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College. Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts. Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city's infrastructure boom: 1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026) "Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC" (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections. "Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections. "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls. 2. Infrastructure & Urban Development "Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route" (Dec 22, 2025): An "outlook" piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026. "Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River" (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi. "Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari" (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state's most critical transport corridors. 3. Civic Governance & Environment "Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders" (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the "Breathless Pune" series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time. "Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters" (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections. Signature Style Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the "ground zero" reality of Pune's residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a "Bharat Mandapam" style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact. X (Twitter): @ajay_khape ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
PMC

Loading Taboola...