Pimpri-Chinchwad: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is making a determined push to reclaim his traditional bastion -- Pimpri-Chinchwad -- which slipped out of his grasp in 2017 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) uprooted the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) 15-year rule in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
However, as the Dada of the state is trying his hardest with two visits already made to the city in the space of five days for campaigning, it can be said that members of his own party are not offering him much help. Major leaders of the NCP within the city and their relatives have chosen not to contest the upcoming PCMC Elections 2026, making things tough for the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
With a total of 128 seats in the civic body spread across 32 wards, 64 seats are required to secure a majority. The Ajit Pawar–led NCP and the BJP remain the most influential players in the city, backed by proven and established leaders. In this cut-throat contest, every seat carries significance. However, several established NCP leaders have refused to contest the elections, despite having near-guaranteed chances of victory -- an absence that could have tipped the balance of power in Ajit Pawar’s favour in the PCMC.
Ajit Pawar has put his prestige on the line to bring the NCP to power in Pimpri-Chinchwad and has been aggressively attacking the BJP. While the deputy CM has made this election a matter of prestige, four-time corporators like Ajit Gavhane, Jagdish Shetty, and Nihal Pansare have avoided contesting at all. With no major elections coming up now, this approach is being questioned as to why they are not contesting.
To make matters tough, former Mayor Mangala Kadam sent her son to the BJP before the elections. Former mayors Aparna Doke and Shakuntala Dharade filed their nominations from the BJP at the last minute. Since veteran leaders refused to contest, the NCP had to give opportunities to second-tier workers in many wards. Many have defected to other parties. As a result, a quiet discussion has started among NCP workers regarding whether Ajit Pawar’s solo efforts will be enough to win power.
Ajit Pawar became active in Pimpri-Chinchwad politics in 1991. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha from the Baramati constituency, which then included the Pimpri-Chinchwad area. Since then, he has focused on city politics. During the era of the Congress, when NCP didn't exist, he created his own faction in the city after a brief yet memorable struggle with the late Prof. Ramkrishna More. Later, after the establishment of the NCP, he outmanoeuvred the Congress and brought the NCP to power single-handedly three times. He brought veterans from the Congress into his party.
After the NCP came to power in Pimpri-Chinchwad, it was Ajit Pawar who decided which positions would be given to whom. Pawar often proudly mentions that he gave positions to many. However, in 2014, the late MLA Laxman Jagtap, MLA Mahesh Landge, and former Mayor Azam Pansare left Ajit Pawar's side. As a result, the NCP lost power in the PCMC in 2017.
Defections & Rejections Within NCP
Even after losing power, MLA Anna Bansode, former MLA Vilas Lande, former Mayor Yogesh Behl, Sanjog Waghere, Mangala Kadam, and Aparna Doke stayed with the party. Now, for the municipal elections, the Waghere couple has joined the BJP. The son of Mangala Kadam, a former mayor and house leader, has joined the BJP, and Kadam is campaigning for him. Doke filed her application from the BJP at the eleventh hour.
Along with that, former standing committee chairman Prashant Shitole and Raju Misal, who held positions of deputy mayor and leader of the opposition, are contesting from the BJP. While many trusted associates left on the eve of the election, several veterans who stayed in the party avoided contesting.
Former Corporator Vikrant Lande, son of former MLA Vilas Lande, did not get a ticket from Ward No. 8 (Indrayani Nagar). As a result, he avoided fielding any female members of his family in the election. Ajit Gavhane, who contested the Assembly elections from the other faction of NCP, also refused to contest the municipal polls. The son of four-time winner Mangala Kadam is contesting from the BJP.
As two brothers of former Standing Committee Chairman Jagdish Shetty joined the BJP, Shetty also refused to contest. Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Anna Bansode avoided fielding a second candidate from his family. The son of former Mayor Azam Pansare refused to contest at the last minute. As a result, the NCP had to give a ticket to a second-tier worker in Ward 10. One of those candidates withdrew, leading to the unopposed election of the BJP’s Supriya Chandgude.
Questionable Moves By Local NCP Leaders
Siddharth Bansode, son of the Legislative Assembly’s Deputy Speaker Anna Bansode, is contesting from Ward No. 9 (Nehru Nagar-Kharalwadi). Here, the BJP left the seat for its ally, RPI, which fielded Kamlesh Walke -- a second-tier worker who defected from the NCP. Therefore, the election is considered easy for Bansode’s son. Against NCP Pimpri-Chinchwad City President Yogesh Behl, the BJP fielded a worker named Satish Nagargoje, who is said to make the fight easier for Behl. Local NCP leaders also avoid making allegations against BJP leaders.
In Ward No. 6 (Sadguru Nagar-Dhawade Vasti) of Bhosari, the NCP gave a ticket to Nilesh Suryawanshi. In reality, Suryawanshi filed his nomination from the MNS, which was later disqualified. As a result, BJP’s Ravi Landge was elected unopposed for the second time. It appears the NCP avoided fielding a candidate against Ravi. Due to the withdrawal of the candidate in Ward 10, BJP’s Supriya Chandgude was also elected unopposed.
Regarding these happenings, Ajit Pawar addressed them in a recent rally, saying, "Vikrant Lande requested that the candidacy be given to his brother, so Viraj has been nominated. Ajit Gavhane contested the Assembly elections, which is why he refused to contest the PCMC elections. Even if party officials are not making corruption allegations against the BJP, I am making them myself. Many left the party despite being given positions. Now, I will build and develop new workers and office-bearers."
