The political landscape of Pune lost one of its most dominant and controversial figures with the passing of former Member of Parliament Suresh Kalmadi. The 81-year-old leader breathed his last on Tuesday at Pune's Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital after a prolonged illness, drawing hundreds of citizens and political leaders to pay their final respects at his bungalow and the Vaikuntha crematorium.
From Shoe-Throwing Defiance to Political Dominance
Suresh Kalmadi's political ascent was as sudden and theatrical as his eventual decline. His journey into the limelight began not with gradual toil but with a single act of defiance in 1977. As a 33-year-old Youth Congress member, he threw a shoe at the convoy of then Prime Minister Morarji Desai near Tilak Smarak Mandir in Pune. This audacious act instantly catapulted him from obscurity to headlines.
The Congress party swiftly rewarded his notoriety, appointing him as the president of the Pune Youth Congress and later as the chief of the state Youth Congress wing. For the next 33 years, Kalmadi never looked back, establishing an unshakeable grip over Pune's political, cultural, and sporting spheres until around 2010.
The Meteoric Rise and the Painful Downfall
Kalmadi's career began in the Indian Air Force, where he served as a pilot during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. Appointed by the late Sanjay Gandhi, he nurtured a loyal team and managed to dislodge the rival camp led by former Congress spokesperson V N Gadgil from the Pune unit. With initial mentorship from Sharad Pawar, Kalmadi became the face of the Congress in Pune for three decades.
His residence, "Kalmadi House" in Erandwane, and the Poona Coffee House in Deccan became the city's unofficial power centres. He served as a three-time Lok Sabha MP from Pune and a four-time Rajya Sabha member, also holding the position of Minister of State for Railways.
However, his flamboyant career met with a dramatic and symbolic downfall. On April 26, 2011, a slipper was hurled at him as he entered the Patiala House Court in New Delhi, facing allegations of irregularities as chairman of the 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. This mirrored his own entry into politics. He spent nine months in Tihar Jail after a CBI arrest. Although the CBI filed a closure report in 2014, accepted by the court in 2016, and the ED's closure report was accepted in April 2025, the damage was irreversible. He spent his last 14 years in political oblivion, largely deserted by former associates.
The Indelible Footprint on Modern Pune
Despite the controversies, Kalmadi's contributions to Pune's development are widely acknowledged, with many calling him the "architect of modern Pune." As the long-time president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), he dreamt of making Pune a "Sports City." He was instrumental in setting up world-class sports infrastructure in Balewadi and initiating the Pune International Marathon.
His vision extended beyond sports. He is credited with:
- Starting the annual Pune Festival, blending the city's heritage with Bollywood glitz.
- Promoting the Ganesh festival on the global tourism map by inviting international dignitaries.
- Overseeing the construction of new flyovers, road expansions, airport development, and the Hinjewadi IT hub.
- Facilitating the inclusion of fringe areas into Pune's municipal limits, transforming it into a modern IT and automobile hub.
However, he also faced public backlash for failed projects like the "sky bus" service, constructions in Biodiversity Zones, and a proposed ropeway at Garware Bal Bhavan land, which were eventually withdrawn.
The man who loved praise and insisted he was Pune's "Kingmaker"—proud of giving three women corporators their first chance to become mayor—finally received glowing tributes in death. Supporters raised his favourite slogan one last time: "Sabse Bada Khiladi... Suresh Bhai Kalmadi." His story remains a masterclass in the poetic, and often ironic, symmetry of political life.
