Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced corporator Ravi Landge from the Bhosari area to serve as the mayor for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). The announcement was made by the BJP Maharashtra State President, Ravindra Chavan, on Monday.
Along with Ravi Landge, corporator Sheetal, aka Veejay Gorakh Shinde, was also announced to be the deputy mayor for PCMC. Both of them will be officially elected on 6th February, as they filed nominations for their posts on Monday.
The letter was written to BJP Pimpri-Chinchwad City President Shatrughna Kate, State General Secretary Rajesh Pandey, MLAs Mahesh Landge and Shankar Jagtap and MLCs Uma Khapare and Amit Gorkhe.
Ravindra Chavan said, “The names of Ravi Babasaheb Landge as Mayor and Sheetal, aka Veejay Gorakh Shinde, as Deputy Mayor have been finalised for the key positions in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. I request local leaders to take the necessary further actions at your level.”
About Ravi Landge: Ravi Landge is a key political figure in the Bhosari area and comes from a family with deep roots in the BJP. He is the son of the late Babasaheb Landge (former Leader of Opposition in PCMC) and the nephew of the late Ankushrao Landge, who is credited with building the BJP’s foundation in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Ravi Landge has made headlines by getting elected unopposed as a corporator for the second consecutive time from Seat B of Ward No. 6 (Dhawade Wasti, Sadguru Nagar), which was reserved for OBC candidates in PCMC elections.
Interestingly, in August 2024, he briefly joined the Shiv Sena (UBT) due to internal friction in the BJP, but he subsequently returned to the BJP fold. He aspired to contest elections from the Bhosari Assembly Constituency, but the Mahavikas Aghadi gave a ticket to Ajit Gavhane of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP), which resulted in Ravi Landge returning to the BJP.
About Sheetal, aka Veejay Shinde: Veejay Shinde, popularly known by his nickname Sheetal Shinde, is a veteran leader and a high-profile strategist for the BJP in Pimpri-Chinchwad. He is a multiple-time corporator and has served in critical administrative roles within the PCMC, including as the Chairman of the Standing Committee, which is one of the most powerful positions in the municipal corporation, as it controls the city's finances.
He is known as a “troubleshooter” and a master of election management in the Pimpri-Chinchwad region. He plays a pivotal role in the local party unit’s decision-making process. He is a core member of the Mahesh Landge camp and is instrumental in maintaining the BJP’s hold over the Bhosari and Pimpri assembly segments.
