As Pune gears up for its long-awaited municipal elections on January 15, 2026, a distinctive trend has emerged: political families are doubling down on their influence by fielding multiple members. Major parties like the BJP, Congress, and NCP are placing their bets on husband-wife pairs, mother-son duos, and other familial combinations to secure their legacies in the 165-seat Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Husband-Wife Teams Take the Political Plunge
The race for civic power in Pune is seeing couples contesting side by side. The Congress has fielded former corporator Avinash Bagwe and his wife, Indira Bagwe, from the Kashewadi-Dias Plot ward. The Bagwe family's political roots run deep, with Avinash's father, Ramesh Bagwe, having served as a corporator and state minister.
Not to be outdone, the BJP has inducted and nominated its own power couples. Surendra Pathare will contest from Kharadi-Wagholi, while his wife, Aishwarya Pathare, will run from Vimannagar-Lohegaon. Interestingly, Surendra is the son of sitting NCP (SP) legislator Bapusaheb Pathare. Another BJP couple, Sanjay and Ashwini Bhosale, are contesting from Yerawada-Gandhinagar and Pune station-Jay Jawannagar wards, respectively. Sanjay is a former Shiv Sena corporator who recently switched allegiance to the BJP.
A BJP leader defended the strategy, stating, "The BJP has fielded candidates only considering their winning ability. The party normally does not field more than one candidate from one family, but there were exceptions as both candidates are strong."
Mother-Son & Father-Son Combinations in the Fray
The familial connections extend beyond spouses. Three notable mother-son duos are in the contest. The Congress has fielded former mayor Prashant Jagtap and his mother, Ratnaprabha Jagtap, from the Wanowrie-Salunkhe Vihar ward—a pairing that has been successfully elected together in the past.
The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena presents the duo of Nilesh Girme and his mother Radhika Girme from the Narhe-Vadgaon Budhruk-Dhayari ward. In a related move, the party has also given tickets to Pratibha Dhangekar, wife of former legislator Ravindra Dhangekar, and her son, Pranav Dhangekar, from separate wards.
On the father-son front, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has fielded former corporator Vasant More and his son Rupesh More from Balajinagar-Ambegaon-Katraj and Kondhwa Budhruk-Yeolewadi wards, respectively.
Siblings and Sisters-in-Law Complete the Family Portrait
The web of family politics grows even more intricate with siblings and in-laws entering the arena. In a unique case, stepbrothers are contesting on rival party tickets. Harshwardhan Mankar is an NCP candidate from Rambaug Colony-Shivteerthnagar, while his stepbrother Raghvendra Mankar is a BJP candidate from Shaniwar Peth-Mahatma Phule Mandai. Both are sons of former NCP corporator Deepak Mankar.
The NCP has also fielded sisters-in-law. Former corporator Priya Gadade is contesting from Janta Vasahat-Hingane Khurd, while Akshada Gadade, the wife of Priya's brother Premraj, is running from Navi Peth-Parvati ward.
An NCP leader explained the rationale, noting, "There were many such combinations from a family who sought party candidature... but only those were given a party ticket in wards where they were the strongest."
These elections are particularly significant as they are being held after a delay of nearly nine years, caused by legal disputes over seat reservations. With fierce competition for 165 seats, political dynasties are leaving nothing to chance, making the upcoming PMC polls a fascinating study of family, legacy, and power in Pune's urban governance.
