In a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured its first seat in the upcoming Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections without a contest. Former corporator Ravi Landge was declared elected from ward 6B on Thursday after his sole opponent, Independent candidate Prasad Tukaram Tathe, withdrew his nomination papers.
A Repeat Unopposed Victory
This victory marks the second consecutive time that Ravi Landge has been elected unopposed to the PCMC. He previously achieved a similar feat during the 2017 civic elections. The path for this uncontested win was cleared following the withdrawal of his rival's nomination. The seat is reserved for Other Backward Class (OBC) candidates.
The electoral process in ward 6B saw a major twist even before the withdrawal. The nomination of the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) official candidate, Nilesh Suryawanshi, was rejected by poll officials. The rejection occurred because Suryawanshi failed to submit the receipt of his application for a caste certificate, a mandatory document for contesting from a reserved seat.
Political Crossroads and Assurances
Speaking to reporters after his unopposed election, Ravi Landge attributed his success to his cordial relations with politicians across party lines. "I have good relations with politicians across party lines. It has helped me secure the victory," Landge stated. He also thanked the independent candidate, Prasad Tathe, for withdrawing "in the interest of the area's development."
Explaining his decision, Prasad Tathe said, "Landge assured me that his intention is to work on the issues even I had raised and with a vision similar to mine. Resultantly, I chose to withdraw my nomination." This behind-the-scenes understanding paved the way for a smooth BJP entry into the PCMC tally.
Landge's political journey has seen notable shifts. He is a former BJP corporator who left the party last year to join the Shiv Sena (UBT) with the aim of contesting the assembly elections from Bhosari. However, under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) seat-sharing arrangement, the Bhosari seat went to the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction, and Landge did not receive a ticket. He subsequently rejoined the BJP just last month and was promptly awarded the party ticket for ward 6B. His political lineage is notable, as his late uncle, Ankush Landge, was among the earliest BJP workers in Pimpri Chinchwad during the party's formative years in the region.
Wider Nomination Dynamics in PCMC Polls
The developments in ward 6B are part of a larger trend of withdrawals and rejections shaping the electoral battlefield for the 128-seat PCMC. By Tuesday, a total of 41 nominations filed by 38 candidates had been withdrawn. This list included dummy candidates fielded by political parties as a strategic backup in case their official candidates' papers were rejected.
Furthermore, the scrutiny of nomination papers, completed by election officials on Wednesday, led to the rejection of 99 candidates for various reasons. This was out of a total of over 1,993 nominations filed across all wards. A key reason for rejection was the late submission of AB forms (related to candidate information) beyond the nomination deadline.
This procedural stricture had significant consequences. It affected four BJP aspirants, two from Shiv Sena, and one from NCP. The rejection of their forms has altered the electoral dynamics in several wards. A prime example is ward 24, where five aspirants — three originally from BJP and two from Shiv Sena — are now forced to contest as Independent candidates due to the delay in filing their nominations. The final deadline for candidates to withdraw their nominations is 3 pm on January 2.
The stage is now set for a competitive election in the remaining wards, with the BJP having opened its account through a strategic and uncontested victory in ward 6B.
