The political landscape in Pune's industrial twin city, Pimpri Chinchwad, has been thrown into turmoil ahead of the long-awaited civic elections. A mass defection of former corporators from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ignited a serious conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, threatening its cohesion.
Ajit Pawar's Strong Displeasure and Alliance Tensions
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who leads the NCP faction within the Mahayuti, publicly expressed his anger over the developments on Sunday. He stated that there was a mutual understanding among the alliance partners not to poach each other's office-bearers and candidates, an understanding he claims is now being violated. "I will raise this issue within the alliance when I go to Mumbai," Pawar declared, signaling an escalation of the internal dispute.
Hinting at the potential for a tit-for-tat response, Pawar warned that "once poaching begins, it does not stop, and others also follow it." He emphasized the disappointment felt by party aspirants who have been preparing for the civic polls, which are being held after a gap of nine years. Pawar revealed that several such aspirants had met him on Sunday, expressing their concerns. He asserted that every party would now seek to field stronger candidates, implying his own party would respond in kind.
Scale of the Defection: Key Leaders Switch Sides
The trigger for this political storm was the BJP's induction ceremony on Saturday, where it welcomed 23 leaders from Pimpri Chinchwad, a majority of them from Ajit Pawar's NCP. The list of defectors includes several high-profile names with significant local influence.
Prominent among them are former deputy mayors Prabhakar Waghere and Raju Misal. The BJP also gained Prashant Shitole, the former standing committee chairperson who was serving as the working president of the NCP's city unit. In a significant move, Usha Waghare, former standing committee chairperson and wife of former mayor Sanjog Waghere, also joined the BJP. Sanjog Waghere had earlier switched to the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Other notable defections include former leader of opposition Vinod Nadhe and Kushagra Kadam, the son of former NCP mayor Mangala Kadam. This large-scale exodus is expected to significantly weaken the NCP's prospects, as these individuals were seen as strong contenders and influential figures in their respective electoral areas.
Retaliation and the Prospect of a Direct Fight
In a clear act of retaliation, the NCP on Monday inducted former BJP corporator Sandeep Waghere into its fold. Waghere's defection is directly linked to his longstanding political rivalry with former mayor Sanjog Waghere and his wife, who recently joined the BJP. This move underscores the rapidly escalating political rivalry.
Earlier, on December 17, the NCP had already inducted five former corporators—three from the BJP, one from Shiv Sena, and one from Shiv Sena (UBT). This group included Seema Sawale, a former standing committee chairperson of the municipal corporation. Sources from both parties indicate that more such cross-hopping by former corporators is likely in the coming days, as tensions continue to simmer.
These developments cast serious doubt on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's earlier call for a "friendly contest" in the civic elections of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). The current scenario suggests the allies are headed for a tough and direct electoral battle. The PCMC has historically been a bastion of Ajit Pawar, with the undivided NCP controlling the civic body for nearly two decades under his leadership before the BJP took charge in 2017.
