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In PCMC, BJP improves its 2017 tally, tightens grip on industrial township
BJP wins over 84 of 128 seats in Pimpri-Chinchwad elections, solidifying its majority while NCP and Shiv Sena lag behind. Voter turnout was 57.71%.
Breaking past recent trends and consolidating its dominance, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delivered a commanding performance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections 2026, winning more than 84 of the 128 seats and securing a clear majority on its own.
According to Election Commission data, the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 84 seats, followed by the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) with 37 seats and the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) with six seats, including one independent supported by the BJP. Notably, the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena failed to open their accounts.
PCMC spans three assembly constituencies — Chinchwad, Bhosari and Pimpri. While Chinchwad and Bhosari are represented by BJP MLAs Shankar Jagtap and Mahesh Landge, respectively; Pimpri is held by NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA Anna Bansode. The BJP dominated across all three segments, winning 39 seats in Chinchwad (including one BJP-supported independent), 35 in Bhosari and 12 in Pimpri, underlining its strong presence even in areas not represented by BJP MLAs.
The civic polls, held on January 15 after a nine-year gap, recorded a voter turnout of 57.71% with 989,026 voters casting ballots. Ward number 12 (Talawade Gaothan–Rupi Nagar) registered the highest turnout at 65.14%, while ward number 10 (Sambhaji Nagar–Morwadi) recorded the lowest at 49.54%. Voting was carried out for 126 seats, as BJP candidates Ravi Landge (ward 7) and Supriya Chandgude (ward 10) were elected unopposed.
Shankar Jagtap, BJP MLA from Chinchwad, said that the verdict reflected the voters’ faith in development. “This was the first municipal election after the passing of our leader Laxman Jagtap, and we felt his absence deeply. Guided by the values he instilled and with development as our focus, we continued our work. The voters clearly rejected attempts to oppose development and delivered a mandate for progress,” he said.
The results also saw a few notable upsets. Former BJP mayor Usha alias Mai Dhore lost from ward 32 (Sangvi Gaonthan) to NCP candidate Ujjwala Dhore. Tushar Kamthe, city president of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), suffered a decisive defeat against BJP’s Sandeep Kaspate in Pimple Nilakh. Analysts attributed these losses to local anti-incumbency and candidate-specific factors.
Political observers said that the BJP’s victory was driven by a strong organisational network, a disciplined voter base and sustained focus on infrastructure and civic development. Although the Ajit Pawar-led NCP contested the polls in alliance with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) in an attempt to improve its prospects, the party’s tally remained similar with 37 seats — just one seat more compared to 2017.
For decades, PCMC was firmly under Ajit Pawar’s control. That dominance was first broken in 2017 when the BJP wrested power from the NCP, increasing its tally from just three seats in 2012 to 77. The 2026 results mark the second consecutive civic election in which the BJP has emerged as the single largest party.
BJP MLA Mahesh Landge from Bhosari termed the verdict historic. “This victory is dedicated to the self-respecting people of Pimpri-Chinchwad. It reflects trust in development, honest governance and public welfare, and faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis,” he said.
