Pune: In the Bhor Municipal Council elections, considered politically highly sensitive, Ajit Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has proven its dominance. In this closely contested election, NCP's candidate Ramchandra Aware defeated the candidate supported by Thopte by a margin of 170 votes.
This election in Bhor was not merely a local affair; it had become a battle of prestige. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis himself campaigned for the BJP candidate, while Ajit Pawar also threw his full weight behind Aware. However, the voters favoured the NCP candidate.
For many decades, Bhor has been a stronghold of the Congress party and, consequently, of the Thopte family. However, after suffering a defeat in the recent assembly elections, Sangram Thopte joined the BJP. This municipal election was his attempt to regain his footing, but he could not withstand the strategies of MLA Shankar Mandekar and Ajit Pawar.
Meanwhile, in the Bhor Municipal Council results, Jagdish Kirve, Mayuri Gaikwad, Jaywant Shete, and Renuka Badak from the BJP, and Anil Belke, Surekha Malekar, and Kunal Dhumal from the NCP have emerged victorious. Notably, the fact that two candidates, Jayshree Shinde and Ashu Dhawale, received an equal number of votes highlights the intense competition.
Now, after his victory in the assembly elections, MLA Shankar Mandekar has hoisted the flag of Ajit Pawar's NCP in the municipal council as well, dealing a major blow to Thopte's political dominance.
