E-Paper
Merged areas, central Pune favour BJP; Kondhwa signals end of decades-old ‘gaon’ politics
Areas merged into PMC limits after 2018, along with the city’s central parts, largely favoured BJP in civic elections, underscoring the party’s expanding footprint beyond its traditional urban strongholds
PUNE: Areas merged into the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) limits after 2018, along with the city’s central parts, largely favoured the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2026 civic elections, underscoring the party’s expanding footprint beyond its traditional urban strongholds.
From Ambegaon, Narhe and Mohammadwadi–Undri to Baner and Balewadi, most newly merged areas returned BJP-backed candidates. The party also retained its dominance in central Pune and its traditional bastions such as the peth areas and Kothrud.
In the Katraj–Ambegaon ward, BJP candidates won three of the five seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured two. In the Mohammadwadi–Undri ward, BJP won two of the four seats, with Shiv Sena’s city unit chief Nana Bhangire losing the election.
However, the electoral outcome in Kondhwa marked a significant political shift, signalling the decline of decades-old “gaon” (village) politics that had long shaped civic representation in the area.
Once a small village on Pune’s southern fringe, Kondhwa’s politics for years revolved around a few dominant families and caste-based loyalties. In the 1990s, Suryakant Lonkar emerged as a key figure, later becoming an MLA. In 1997, Mahadev Babar became the area’s first Shiv Sena corporator and later an MLA. Over the next two decades, civic representation remained concentrated within familiar village-based surnames, including Tanaji Lonkar and Megha Babar in 2007, Arti Babar of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in 2012, and Sainath Babar in 2017.
Until recently, even Muslim voters in Kondhwa largely supported candidates emerging from these entrenched local networks, particularly the Babar family. This began to change around 2015, when a new set of Muslim leaders started gaining political traction, reflecting a growing demand for community representation in an area with a sizeable Muslim population.
In the 2017 PMC elections, Nanda Lonkar ensured the continuation of village-linked representation. The 2026 polls, however, proved to be a turning point.
Local leaders and observers said voters, especially from the Muslim community, evaluated party affiliations and governance records more critically this time. Former corporator Tanaji Lonkar said the community voted “tactically”, adding that many voters viewed a vote for the NCP as indirectly benefiting the BJP and therefore consolidated behind the Congress.
The results reflected this shift. Three Congress candidates — Kashif Sayed, Asia Maniyar and Taslim Shaikh — won from Kondhwa, along with Gafur Pathan of the NCP. Significantly, none of the elected corporators belong to the old village power structure, marking a clear break from Kondhwa’s long-standing “gaon” politics.
Political observer and social activist Saleem Mulla described the outcome as a “turning point” for the area. He said voters were now looking beyond traditional loyalties and expecting representatives to focus on education, healthcare and overall quality of life.
The change in Kondhwa mirrors a broader trend seen across Muslim-majority pockets of Pune, where votes consolidated behind candidates perceived as more responsive and inclusive, weakening the hold of entrenched local dynasties.
Rapid urbanisation has also altered Kondhwa’s civic priorities. Over the past decade, residents have raised concerns over traffic congestion, encroachments and narrow roads amid unplanned growth. These issues featured prominently during the campaign and are expected to test the new representatives.
Key infrastructure projects, including the widening of the Katraj–Kondhwa road and proposed Metro connectivity, remain central to local development discussions. The long-pending Katraj–Kondhwa bypass project, delayed due to land acquisition hurdles, is now targeted for completion by late 2026 to ease chronic congestion in the area.
