A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has used a powerful administrative metaphor to target a former party colleague who switched sides ahead of the crucial Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation polls. The political temperature has soared in the city as campaigning intensifies.
From 'Collector' to 'Tehsildar': A Scathing Attack
During a charged election rally, senior BJP leader and the party's election in-charge for Ulhasnagar, Pradeep Ramchandani, launched a fierce verbal assault on Jamnu Puraswani. Puraswani, a former five-time corporator from the BJP, recently quit the party and is now contesting on a Shiv Sena symbol from the Team Omie Kalani (TOK) outfit.
Ramchandani recalled that after leaving the BJP, Puraswani had vowed to make Panels 1 to 12 in the city "BJP-free." However, Ramchandani claimed the ground reality is starkly different. He asserted that Puraswani is now struggling hard just to save his own seat from Panel No. 2, where he is contesting, and is visibly under pressure.
"The public mood in this panel is clearly in favour of the BJP," Ramchandani stated, adding that the voters' blessings are firmly with his party.
A High-Voltage Contest in a Former BJP Stronghold
The political battle has become particularly intense in Panel No. 3, once considered a BJP bastion. Puraswani was elected five times as a corporator from this very panel on a BJP ticket. However, about a month ago, he quit the BJP along with four other sitting corporators and joined TOK, a local political group that has an alliance with Shiv Sena at the city level.
Since the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting the Ulhasnagar elections separately, Puraswani is now in the fray from this panel on the Shiv Sena symbol alongside three other candidates. The BJP has retaliated by fielding a strong slate of candidates from the same panel: Meena Labana, Advocate Bharat Shivnani, Sandhya Marathe, and Harish Kanojia, setting the stage for a direct and high-stakes confrontation.
Alliance Dynamics and Voter Choice
Sharpening his criticism, Ramchandani pointed out that although Jamnu Puraswani is contesting on a Shiv Sena ticket, the Shiv Sena is only a small alliance partner with the BJP at larger political levels. He then deployed his cutting administrative analogy.
"When Puraswani was in the BJP, he was like a 'Collector,'" Ramchandani remarked. "But after leaving the party, he has been reduced to a 'Tehsildar.'" He then posed a question to the electorate: Why would voters choose a Tehsildar when they have the option to elect a Collector for their ward?
He added that even a Tehsildar ultimately has to approach the Collector to get work done, implying that a BJP representative would hold more sway and deliver more effectively for the constituency compared to someone from a smaller allied party.
The remarks have added a new layer of rhetoric to an already fiercely contested election, highlighting the personal and political stakes for the key players involved.
