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BJP names candidates for Pune division MLC polls; allies firm on contesting
Leaders of both the NCP and Shiv Sena indicated they could field candidates despite the BJP’s decision
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The BJP’s decision to contest both the Graduate and Teachers constituencies in the Pune division in the October 23 biennial MLC elections has upset its Mahayuti allies, with both the NCP and Shiv Sena staking claims to at least one of the two seats.
The BJP’s central election committee on Sunday announced Smita Jadhav as its candidate for the Pune Graduate constituency and Kaustubh Gawade for the Pune Teachers constituency. Both are scheduled to file their nomination papers on October 5.
The announcement has brought seat-sharing differences within the ruling alliance into the open, with leaders of both the NCP and Shiv Sena indicating they could field candidates despite the BJP’s decision.
Jadhav, an educationist and wife of a Marathi daily’s owner, joined the BJP on Sunday evening in the presence of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan, Union minister Murlidhar Mohol, state minister Chandrakant Patil, and other senior party leaders from Pune.
Several BJP leaders, including Sharad Lad and Prasham Kolhe, were also reportedly in the race for the party nomination.
The BJP’s decision has particularly irked the NCP, which has maintained that the Graduate constituency should remain with it after the party won the seat in 2020. NCP leaders had also indicated that Pratap Mane would be the party’s likely candidate.
NCP leader and state cabinet minister Hassan Mushrif had recently said that the Pune division Graduate constituency belonged to the NCP and that the party would contest the election.
On Sunday, Pune city NCP president Sunil Tingre criticised the BJP for deciding to contest both seats.
“Had Ajitdada been there, he would not have allowed the BJP to contest the Graduate constituency since the NCP had won it in 2020. Our party high command is slated to meet in Mumbai soon to decide whether the party will field candidates. But we are peeved with the BJP for deciding to contest both the seats,” Tingre said.
The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, has staked its claim to the Teachers constituency and indicated that it may proceed with its own candidate despite the BJP’s announcement.
Mangesh Chivate, who served as officer on special duty (OSD) to Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde when Shinde was chief minister, said the party leadership had asked him to contest the election.
“Our party chief has asked me to file my nomination for the Pune Teachers constituency polls. I will do so on October 6. I have been preparing to contest the polls for a long time and will not back out,” Chivate said.
State cabinet minister Uday Samant, however, said the final decision would be taken by the senior leadership of the two parties.
“What the BJP has done and whom it has nominated is that party’s internal issue. From our side, Mangesh Chivate will file the nomination papers. Eventually, Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde will decide,” Samant said.
Another Sena leader, Sachin Sanap, who served as OSD to Samant, has also announced that he would contest the Teachers constituency as an independent candidate and file his nomination on October 5.
Sanap criticised the BJP’s choice of candidate, saying the party had failed to identify a candidate capable of effectively representing the concerns of teachers.
The Sena’s Pune city president Ravindra Dhangekar said the party was prepared to contest both constituencies if the leadership gave its approval.
“We have conveyed our decision to the high command and, once we get the nod, we will field candidates in both the seats. The rank and file of the party is unhappy with the BJP for not leaving at least one seat for the Sena,” Dhangekar said.
The Pune division Graduates and Teachers constituencies cover Pune, Sangli, Satara, Kolhapur and Solapur districts. The final electoral rolls prepared for the 2026 elections have around 3.11 lakh graduate voters and 52,000 teacher voters in the division.
