E-Paper
Internal churn, defections mark contest in Aundh-Baner, Shivajinagar-Ghole Road wards
Selection of candidates and last-minute defections have intensified political activity in key Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) wards, with Shivajinagar-Ghole Road and Aundh-Baner emerging as closely watched battlegrounds ahead of the civic polls.
PUNE: Selection of candidates, last-minute defections, and churn within political parties have intensified political activity in key Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) wards with Shivajinagar-Ghole Road and Aundh-Baner emerging as closely watched battlegrounds ahead of the civic polls. In both these wards, the contest is being shaped as much by realignments within political parties as by inter-party competition, with denial of tickets, replacement of sitting corporators, and entry of new faces altering local equations.
Shivajinagar–Ghole Road
The Shivajinagar–Ghole Road belt - comprising wards such as Gokhalenagar–Wakadewadi (ward 7) and Chhatrapati Shivajinagar-Model Colony (ward 12) - remains one of the city’s politically sensitive zones due to its central location and dense residential character. The area, once influenced by the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has seen the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) consolidate its presence since the 2017 civic polls.
In 2017, BJP candidates Siddharth Shirole, Jyotsna Ekbote, Swati Lokhande and Nilima Khade were elected from ward 12. This time however, the BJP has opted for new faces, including Nivedita Ekbote, daughter of Jyotsna Ekbote; Apoorva Khade, son of Nilima Khade; along with Amruta Mhetre; and Pooja Jagade.
With the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) no longer intact, the Opposition space in this belt stands fragmented, with Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) contesting separately. As a result, the contest in several pockets has become largely bipolar between the BJP and NCP factions, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) is also attempting to re-establish its base.
Local issues such as traffic congestion, redevelopment of ageing residential areas, parking shortages, hawker regulation and poor internal roads are dominating the campaign discourse, with civic activists flagging delays in infrastructure projects and weak coordination between agencies.
Aundh–Baner
In the Aundh-Baner belt, covering Aundh-Bopodi (ward 8) and Baner-Pashan (ward 9), rapid urbanisation has placed civic management front and centre of the political debate. Traffic bottlenecks, water supply, shrinking open spaces and delayed infrastructure projects have emerged as key voter concerns.
Political equations in the area shifted sharply on the final day of nominations due to defections and last-minute changes. In ward 8, the BJP, after internal deliberations, named Parshuram Wadekar as its candidate, replacing his wife. The move led to dissatisfaction among aspirants, with former BJP corporators Prakash Dhore and Archana Musale switching to the NCP after being denied tickets. The NCP subsequently fielded Pournima Ranawade and Vinod Ranpise.
Ward 9 witnessed further churn after the BJP declined to nominate Amol Balwadkar following which, he joined the NCP and filed his nomination on the last day. The BJP named Lahu Balwadkar, Ganesh Kalamkar, Rohini Chimte and Mayuri Kokate as its candidates. Meanwhile, the NCP denied tickets to former corporators Pramod Nimhann and Punam Vidhate, both of whom are now considering contesting as independents.
Observers said Aundh-Baner has become one of the most competitive belts in the PMC polls, with organisational strength being tested against voter dissatisfaction over liveability issues.
Overall, while the BJP continues to enjoy a strong grassroots’ network in both belts, the Congress and NCP are attempting to capitalise on local grievances, even as independent and citizen-backed candidates sense an opening amid growing voter fatigue with established political players.
