The Congress party has, for the first time, appointed two separate city unit presidents for Pune by dividing the city into eastern and western regions.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal late on Wednesday announced the appointment of former mayor Prashant Jagtap as president of the party’s east Pune unit, and former mayor and MLC Deepti Chawadary as president of the west Pune unit.
The move is being seen as an attempt by the Congress to strengthen its organisational structure in Pune, where the party has struggled with factionalism and weak grassroots’ coordination over the past several years.
Until now, former corporator Arvind Shinde had been functioning as the city unit president. However, party leaders said that he had continued in an acting capacity for nearly three years without being given a full-fledged appointment. During his tenure, internal factional disputes frequently surfaced in the local unit, affecting the party’s functioning and coordination.
The appointment of Jagtap has come as a surprise to many within political circles, as he joined the Congress only in January this year after quitting the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP). Jagtap had earlier served as Pune city president of the undivided NCP and was considered a prominent organisational leader in the city.
Congress leaders believe Jagtap’s induction has already benefitted the party in the Hadapsar assembly segment, where the Congress managed to improve its organisational reach and electoral performance. Apart from serving as mayor, Jagtap is also known for his extensive network across Pune’s political and civic circles.
{{/usCountry}}Congress leaders believe Jagtap’s induction has already benefitted the party in the Hadapsar assembly segment, where the Congress managed to improve its organisational reach and electoral performance. Apart from serving as mayor, Jagtap is also known for his extensive network across Pune’s political and civic circles.
{{/usCountry}}The appointment of Chawadary is also being viewed as a significant political rehabilitation within the party. Chawadary, a former mayor and an ex-member of the legislative council, had remained largely sidelined in city politics in recent years. By giving her the charge of west Pune, the party leadership seems to be trying to bring experienced leaders back into active organisational roles.
Senior Congress leaders said that the decision to divide Pune into two organisational zones was taken after assessing the city’s growing geographical spread and political complexity. The party hopes that decentralised leadership will help improve coordination at the ward and booth levels ahead of the civic elections.
Reacting to his appointment, Jagtap said that the Congress still has a strong support base in Pune and the party will work to rebuild its network across the city. “I am happy that the party has given me this responsibility. Congress has a strong base in Pune and we will work to strengthen the organisation further in the coming days. I am thankful to the party leadership for giving me this opportunity,” he said.