Four party city chiefs suffer shock defeat in Pune civic polls
Voters defeated city chiefs of Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS, NCP and Shiv Sena. Only the Congress city president managed to retain their seats
Pune: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delivered a stellar performance in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) civic elections 2026, as the results threw up several surprises, including the defeat of four city presidents of major political parties in the city.
Six major political parties had fielded their city presidents in these high-profile contests. However, voters delivered a clear verdict, defeating the city chiefs of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction), Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), NCP and the Shiv Sena. Only the Congress city president managed to retain their seats.
BJP city president Dheeraj Ghate won from ward No. 27, defeating NCP candidate Ashok Harnawal by a margin of 5,654 votes, helping the party hold on to its stronghold. Congress city president and senior leader Arvind Shinde also registered a victory from ward No. 13, winning by 1,924 votes against BJP candidate Suryakant Bapu Niklaje, keeping the Congress relevant in the civic body.
In contrast, Sanjay More of the Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered a crushing defeat in ward no. 23, losing by a margin of 12,801 votes to BJP’s Vishal Dhanwade. Sainath Babar, the MNS city president, was defeated by Congress candidate Kashif Sayyed by 4,841 votes.
Similarly, Subhash Jagtap of the NCP lost from ward no. 36 to Veena Ganesh Ghosh by 3,296 votes, while Nana Bhangire, city chief of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), was defeated in ward no. 41 by Nivrutti Bandal of the NCP by a margin of 5,637 votes.
{{/usCountry}}Similarly, Subhash Jagtap of the NCP lost from ward no. 36 to Veena Ganesh Ghosh by 3,296 votes, while Nana Bhangire, city chief of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), was defeated in ward no. 41 by Nivrutti Bandal of the NCP by a margin of 5,637 votes.
{{/usCountry}}The results, declared on Friday, saw the BJP emerge as the clear winner, securing a thumping majority with 119 of the 165 seats, cementing its unchallenged dominance in the civic body. The NCP finished a distant second with 27 seats, followed by the Congress with 15 seats, performing better compared to the 2017 civic poll. The Shiv Sena (UBT faction) managed to win just one seat, while the MNS and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) failed to open their accounts.
{{/usCountry}}The results, declared on Friday, saw the BJP emerge as the clear winner, securing a thumping majority with 119 of the 165 seats, cementing its unchallenged dominance in the civic body. The NCP finished a distant second with 27 seats, followed by the Congress with 15 seats, performing better compared to the 2017 civic poll. The Shiv Sena (UBT faction) managed to win just one seat, while the MNS and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) failed to open their accounts.
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