Why Sanjay Jagtap’s induction will unsettle BJP allies NCP and Shiv Sena in Pune politics

The Congress lost its ground completely in the 2024 elections as it failed to win any Lok Sabha or Assembly seat in the district. Its tally from three legislators in 2019 to zero in 2024 was the party’s worst-ever election performance in Pune.

“The loyalist families leaving the Congress is a cause for concern. The party leadership has to give it a thought. There has been a lot of damage to the organisation and efforts have to be taken to change the mindset of those trying to jump for survival in politics by giving up the Congress ideology,” said Anant Gadgil, a Congress spokesperson.

Congress Pune district chief for nine years

Jagtap was the Congress face in Pune for the nine years during which he held the district president post, since 2016. He resigned two days ago to join the BJP.

“The Congress party trusted Jagtap so much that they made him district unit chief for nine consecutive years and now he has quit the party to join the main rival BJP. His jumping over has damaged the party as he was at the helm of affairs for long and is likely to damage the party further by taking along the party cadre that is with him,” said a local Congress leader.

Another Congress family in BJP kitty

The past efforts of the BJP to get control over the politics of Pune district did not yield much success despite the party managing to win a record number of seats in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state. The only option for the BJP has been to strengthen its base by inducting well-established political families in other parties into its fold.

In 2019, the BJP managed to induct former minister Harshvardhan Patil into the party but lost him to the NCP(SP) in 2024.

However, since the 2024 Assembly elections, the BJP has been successful in its efforts to expand its base in Pune district. A few months ago, the party inducted three-time Congress legislator Sagram Thopte, son of former Congress minister Anantrao Thopte, into the party and added an influential political family of Bhor to its kitty.

Now, the BJP has got Sanjay Jagtap, who is from the influential political family of Purandar. “Our family always believed in the ideology of Congress but in the last few years, things have changed. We have realised that the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadanavis is taking everyone together on the path of progress,” said Jagtap after announcing his BJP entry.

Impact on Ajit Pawar-led NCP

The BJP has been desperately trying hard to destroy the Pawars’ bastion of Baramati over the last few elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP pitted a Dhangar community leader, Mahadeo Jankar of the RSP, against incumbent Supriya Sule but missed the opportunity by a small margin to take over the reins of Baramati. It got the wife of then RSP legislator Kanchan Kul, a distant relative of Pawar, to contest on a BJP ticket against Sule in 2019 but didn’t succeed. In 2024, Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar, who was the NCP candidate supported by the BJP, failed to defeat Sule of the NCP(SP).

Incidentally, Sule got leads from the Purandar and Bhor Assembly constituencies, where the Jagtap and Thorat families are influential, respectively. The BJP’s presence has been very weak in these segments.

After the 2024 Assembly elections, the BJP represents Khadakwasla and Daund constituencies, while the NCP represents Baramati, Indapur, and Bhor, and the Shiv Sena represents Purandar. Now, the BJP will get an upper hand in four of the six Assembly segments in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency. The Pawars, especially Ajit Pawar, who has taken over the charge of political control from his uncle Sharad Pawar in the Lok Sabha constituency, will feel threatened.

“We are aware of the changing political situation in the district but are strong enough to retain our hold. Every political party wants to expand their base. So the BJP is doing just that,” said a local NCP leader.

Threat to Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena

While the NCP led by Ajit Pawar holds eight Assembly seats in the district, its alliance partner Shiv Sena has one seat, Purandar, where former minister Vijay Shivtare defeated Sanjay Jagtap. Now, Jagtap has joined the BJP, posing a threat to Shivtare and indirectly to the Sena.