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BJP’s solo strategy pays off in Pune civic polls
BJP's solo strategy in Pune elections led to a decisive win, while Shiv Sena struggled and failed to secure any seats, highlighting political shifts.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) decision to contest the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections on its own, without an alliance partner, emerged as a key factor behind its sweeping performance, while the Shiv Sena failed to make a mark in the city.
Ahead of the civic polls, chief minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had publicly announced that the saffron party and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) would contest the municipal polls separately, signalling a clear break from alliance politics at the civic level in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
In Pune, parallel talks were held with the Shiv Sena for a possible seat-sharing arrangement, but these negotiations collapsed during the last moment of the nomination process as Sena refused to accept BJP’s offer of 15 seats.
Sources said the BJP had offered around 15 seats to the Shiv Sena. “Had the Sena accepted the proposal, it could have won at least half of those seats and ensured a presence in the civic body,” said a Shiv Sena leader, speaking on condition of anonymity.
With no agreement in sight, the BJP decided to field candidates in all 165 wards and go solo. Party leaders later said the move worked decisively in their favour, as the Sena struggled to make any electoral impact. “We had offered the Shiv Sena a respectable number of seats. But due to the aggressiveness of some local leaders and insistence on specific candidates, the opportunity was lost. In the end, it worked to our advantage,” said a BJP leader involved in the seat-sharing talks.
As the results were out on Friday with the BJP winning more than 110 seats, its leader Murlidhar Mohol said, “Our Party was confident of winning the polls on its record of development.”
According to sources, the Sena was particularly keen on securing seats for senior leader and former deputy mayor Aba Bagul and the wife of Ravindra Dhangekar. The BJP, however, was unwilling to adjust these seats, leading to a breakdown in discussions. Eventually, both parties decided to contest against each other.
The results proved costly for the Sena. Bagul and Dhangekar both lost their respective contests, and the party failed to win a single seat in Pune. Bagul later said the party had campaigned on development issues, but could not counter other factors. “We asked for votes on the basis of development work, but money power won. We respect the voters’ decision,” he said.
Political observers said the outcome underlined the BJP’s organisational strength and the risks smaller allies face when contesting independently in an increasingly polarised urban electorate. The Sena’s score in single digit, they added, highlighted how the BJP’s decision to fight alone reshaped the contest and consolidated votes decisively in its favour.
