BJP's Dominant Performance in Pune Civic Elections
The Pune Municipal Corporation elections held on January 15 delivered a clear verdict. The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the dominant force, securing 119 out of 165 seats. This impressive performance pushed the Nationalist Congress Party, led by Ajit Pawar, into second place.
Record-Breaking Victory Margins
Several BJP candidates achieved extraordinary victories with massive vote margins. Raghavendra alias Bapu Deepak Mankar created the biggest stir. He won from ward number 25(b) by defeating Sameer Gaikwad of Shivsena (UBT) with a staggering margin of 26,497 votes.
Mankar received 31,981 votes while his opponent managed only 5,484 votes. All four BJP candidates from ward 25, covering Shaniwar Peth–Mahatma Phule Mandai, emerged victorious in their respective contests.
Bharatbhushan Barate followed with another impressive win. The BJP candidate secured ward number 32(b) by defeating Kiran Bartakke of the Nationalist Congress Party with a margin of 25,027 votes. Barate polled 34,198 votes against Bartakke's 9,171 votes.
Once again, all BJP candidates from ward 32, representing Warje–Popular Nagar, won their elections. This pattern of complete ward domination became a recurring theme throughout the election results.
Ratnamala Satav claimed the third-largest victory margin among BJP candidates. She defeated NCP's Vasundhara Ubale by 23,136 votes from ward number 4(b). Satav received 41,514 votes against Ubale's 18,378 votes.
All four BJP candidates from ward 4, covering Kharadi–Wagholi, achieved success in their electoral battles.
Nail-Biting Contests and Narrow Margins
While many BJP candidates enjoyed comfortable victories, some contests produced heart-stopping drama. Khandu Londhe of the BJP won by the narrowest margin in the entire election. He secured ward number 17(a) by just 55 votes.
In this tightly contested race, Londhe garnered 14,223 votes against NCP's Ashok Kamble, a former corporator, who received 14,168 votes. Ward number 17, covering Ramtekdi–Malwadi–Vaiduwadi, saw three BJP candidates and one NCP candidate emerge victorious.
Another close contest unfolded in ward number 22(d). BJP's Vivek Yadav defeated Avinash Bagwe of the Congress party by a slim margin of 62 votes. Yadav received 12,423 votes while Bagwe obtained 12,361 votes.
Avinash Bagwe comes from a political family. His father Ramesh Bagwe served as a former MLA and minister from the Congress party. In this ward, covering Kasewadi–Dias Plot, three BJP candidates and one Congress candidate won their elections.
NCP's Limited Success in Close Battles
The Nationalist Congress Party managed some victories in closely fought contests. Ravi Tingre of the NCP won against BJP's Sudhir Waghmode by a mere 138 votes in ward number 2(b). Tingre received 15,321 votes while Waghmode garnered 15,183 votes.
This ward, covering Phule Nagar–Nagpur Chawl, saw all four winning candidates come from the Nationalist Congress Party. It represented one of the few areas where the NCP maintained complete dominance against the BJP wave.
The election results paint a complex picture of Pune's political landscape. While the BJP achieved overwhelming success across most wards, several constituencies witnessed intense competition with razor-thin margins. These close contests demonstrate that political battles remain fiercely competitive even in areas of strong party dominance.
