The upcoming elections for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) are witnessing a remarkable trend of political nepotism, with major parties fielding multiple members from the same families across different wards. The battle for 165 seats is particularly intense as these polls are being held after a delay of nearly nine years, caused by legal disputes over seat reservations.
Husband-Wife Teams Enter the Fray
Several political couples are attempting to secure their family's influence within the civic body. The Congress party has nominated former corporator Avinash Bagwe and his wife, Indira Bagwe, from the Kashewadi-Dias Plot ward. The Bagwe family carries a significant political legacy, with Avinash's father, Ramesh Bagwe, having served as both a corporator and a minister.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also embracing this strategy. It has awarded tickets to Surendra Pathare from Kharadi-Wagholi and his wife, Aishwarya Pathare, from Vimannagar-Lohegaon. Notably, Surendra is the son of sitting NCP(SP) legislator Bapusaheb Pathare. In another instance, the BJP has fielded the couple Sanjay Bhosale (Yerawada-Gandhinagar) and Ashwini Bhosale (Pune station-Jay Jawannagar). Sanjay is a former Shiv Sena corporator who recently switched allegiance to the BJP ahead of the polls.
A BJP leader defended the move, stating, "The BJP has fielded candidates by only taking their winning ability into account. The party normally does not field more than one candidate from one family but there were exceptions as both candidates are strong." Both couples were inducted into the party just before the civic elections were announced.
Parent-Child Duos and Sibling Rivalries
The familial connections extend beyond spouses. Three mother-son combinations are contesting the PMC elections. The Congress has fielded former mayor Prashant Jagtap and his mother, Ratnaprabha Jagtap, from the Wanowrie-Salunkhe Vihar ward, a pairing that has previously served together in the civic body.
The Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, presents its own set of family tickets. It has nominated Nilesh Girme and his mother, Radhika Girme, from the Narhe-VadgaonBudhruk-Dhayari ward. Furthermore, the party has given candidatures to Pratibha Dhangekar (wife of former legislator Ravindra Dhangekar) from Raviwar Peth-Nana Peth and her son, Pranav Dhangekar, from Kasba Ganpati-Kamla Nehru hospital ward.
Adding to the list is a father-son duo from the Shiv Sena: former corporator Vasant More (Balajinagar-Ambegaon-Katraj) and his son Rupesh More (Kondhwa Budhruk-Yeolewadi).
Brothers and Sisters-in-Law Join the Contest
The electoral landscape also features stepbrothers contesting from rival parties. Harshwardhan Mankar is an NCP candidate from Rambaug Colony-Shivteerthnagar, while his stepbrother, Raghvendra Mankar, is fighting on a BJP ticket from Shaniwar Peth-Mahatma Phule Mandai. They are sons of former corporator and NCP leader Deepak Mankar.
The NCP itself has 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 in the fray from Navi Peth-Parvati ward.
An NCP leader commented on the trend, saying, "There were many such combinations from a family who sought party candidature to contest the PMC elections but only those who were the strongest were given party tickets." This statement underscores the calculated political maneuvering where familial connections are leveraged alongside perceived electoral strength in the high-stakes PMC polls scheduled for January 2026.
