As Pune gears up for its crucial civic elections, a stark contrast is visible in the political landscape. While major national parties are flooded with hopefuls seeking tickets, smaller and regional parties are grappling with a significant challenge: finding suitable candidates to contest.
The Rush for Tickets in Major Parties
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress are witnessing an overwhelming number of aspirants. As of Wednesday, approximately 2,300 individuals had approached the BJP for election tickets, showcasing the party's dominant position. Not far behind, the Congress party has been contacted by over 1,200 hopeful candidates. This deluge of applications highlights the perceived winning potential associated with these large political outfits in the upcoming municipal polls.
The Candidate Crunch for Smaller Parties
In sharp contrast, parties like the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), despite having a considerable following in specific regions, are finding it difficult to field strong candidates. For these organizations, the Pune civic elections represent a foundational step to build and expand their presence across Maharashtra. However, their recruitment pool is often limited to those who have been denied tickets by the BJP and Congress.
Dilip Kusale, a senior BSP leader in Pune, outlined the practical difficulties. "We have a few pockets in the eastern parts of Pune where candidates are available. But finding them for other locations is not possible," he said. Kusale added that while the party has an active cadre with many interested in contesting, they often face last-minute approaches from aspirants. "Some ticket hopefuls reach out to us at the very last stage of filing nominations when no other party gives them a ticket," he explained.
Winnability Over Ideology: The New Political Mantra
Political experts observing the trend point to a significant shift in election strategy. The primary focus for all parties, big or small, has narrowed down to selecting candidates with the highest probability of victory, often at the expense of core political ideologies.
Senior political analyst Prakash Pawar emphasized this point. "Bigger parties have more aspirants. Political ideologies have taken a backseat. Parties give preference to those who have more probability of victory," Pawar stated. This pragmatic approach underscores the high-stakes nature of local body elections, which are seen as a direct indicator of grassroots support and a launching pad for larger state-level ambitions.
The struggle for smaller parties is twofold. Firstly, they compete with the resource-rich campaigns of national parties. Secondly, they face a talent drain, where promising local leaders are often absorbed by the bigger players who can offer a better chance at winning. This dynamic makes the civic polls a challenging yet critical battlefield for regional entities aiming to carve a niche in Maharashtra's complex political arena.
