An analysis of election affidavits for the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections has uncovered a staggering trend: former office-bearers from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have seen their personal wealth double over the past nine years. The data, drawn from declarations made for the civic polls scheduled for January 15, shows assets swelling from crores to hundreds of crores.
Substantial Asset Growth for Key Figures
The most striking case is that of Yogesh Mulik, a former standing committee chairperson. According to his affidavit, his declared property value now stands at a massive Rs 201.03 crore, a significant jump from Rs 109.98 crore in 2017. A major portion of his wealth is attributed to immovable property, primarily land. He has also declared gold worth Rs 77.80 lakh (630 grams).
This pattern of substantial enrichment is repeated among other former BJP leaders in the civic body. Shrinath Bhimale, a former Leader of the House, now declares assets worth Rs 91.73 crore, up from Rs 40.08 crore in 2017. His affidavit details that he and his wife own 2.05 kg of gold ornaments valued at Rs 2.56 crore and 17 kg of silver ornaments worth Rs 17.34 lakh.
Dheeraj Ghate, the current Pune BJP chief and another former Leader of the House, reported a dramatic increase. His property value is now Rs 2.99 crore, compared to just Rs 12.47 lakh in 2017. He cites his business and his wife's employment as the primary sources for this growth.
Similarly, Ganesh Bidkar, who also held the Leader of the House post, declared assets worth Rs 41.19 crore, up from Rs 34.69 crore nine years ago. His holdings include commercial and residential properties across Pune, with income derived from several private firms.
Context of the Upcoming Civic Elections
This financial analysis comes just ahead of the crucial PMC elections, set for January 15, 2026, with vote counting on January 16. The BJP had secured control of the civic body in the last election held in 2017, with its five-year term ending in 2022. The subsequent polls were delayed due to reservation issues challenged in the Supreme Court.
Of the four standing committee chairpersons from the previous BJP term—Murlidhar Mohol, Yogesh Mulik, Sunil Kamble, and Hemant Rasane—only Mulik is contesting the PMC polls this year. Mohol is now a Lok Sabha MP and Union Minister, while Rasane and Kamble are members of the Maharashtra Assembly.
Wealth Trends Among Other Contestants
The trend of rising declared assets is not limited to the BJP. Dilip Barate, who was initially the Leader of the Opposition for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) before joining the BJP, declared assets worth Rs 22.07 crore, up from Rs 8.35 crore in 2017. He filed his nomination as an Independent but later withdrew it.
Deepali Dhumal, who succeeded Barate as the NCP's Leader of the Opposition and is contesting again, now declares property valued at Rs 5.47 crore, a substantial rise from Rs 51.10 lakh in 2017.
The affidavits provide a revealing snapshot of the financial evolution of Pune's political class over nearly a decade, placing the issue of transparency and the sources of wealth squarely in the public discourse as the city prepares to vote.
