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Restless former corporators testing the waters at assembly level may clutter election arena
With municipal elections nowhere in sight, several formal corporators have set their sights on the upcoming assembly elections across Maharashtra
PUNE: With municipal elections nowhere in sight, several formal corporators particularly from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have set their sights on the upcoming assembly elections across Maharashtra. Across the state, these former corporators are preparing to test the waters at the assembly level given that the civic polls have been delayed by over two years and are unlikely to be held this year. Add to that the splits within the NCP and Shiv Sena and a plethora of opportunities have opened up for these former councillors to enter the assembly arena. Not surprisingly, there are now more than 60 aspirants eyeing tickets from the eight assembly segments in Pune city, not to mention more than 55 aspirants seeking nominations from their respective parties in the Nashik assembly segments as well.
Prakash Pawar, head of the political science department at Fergusson College and a political observer, said that since the past three years, civic polls have been pending across the state resulting in uncertainty among party workers eager to retain their hold on the areas they (have) represent(ed).
“Former corporators with strong local networks are confident about their prospects in the assembly polls. Historically, many senior corporators have transitioned into being MLAs which has motivated those whose terms as corporators have ended in the past two to three years to shift focus from waiting for the civic polls to competing in the assembly elections. This shift has led to a higher number of aspirants compared to previous assembly elections across the state,” said Pawar.
Mohan Joshi, a senior Congress leader, said, “It is true that many former corporators are aspiring to contest from various assembly constituencies. However, we are limited to offering tickets to only one candidate per constituency.”
The terms of all 27 municipal corporations across Maharashtra — including major cities such as Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and Amravati — have expired over the last three years. The civic polls were initially postponed over the OBC reservation issue but have not taken place for more than two years now, pushing former corporators to explore their assembly-level ambitions.
Pune’s former corporators in the fray
In Pune, where the BJP held power in the civic body from 2017 to 2022, former corporators are vying for eight key assembly constituencies.
Parvati constituency
In the Parvati assembly constituency, former BJP corporator and house leader in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Srinath Bhimale is posing a strong challenge to sitting MLA Madhuri Misal. Bhimale, who has been organising health and women’s camps, has a visible presence in the area with posters and social media campaigns signalling his determination to secure the party’s nomination. Aba Bagul, a veteran Congress leader and five-term corporator, is also eyeing the seat along with another former NCP corporator Ashwini Kadam, who was the second runner-up in the previous assembly elections. Shiv Sena’s Sachin Taware and Bala Oswal are in the fray as well even though the constituency is likely to stay with the BJP in the seat sharing between the Mahayuti allies.
Kothrud constituency
While sitting MLA and minister Chandrakant Patil holds a significant position, former BJP corporator Amol Balwadkar is emerging as a strong contender. Sandip Khardekar, whose wife represented BJP in the PMC, is also among the aspirants from the ruling party while Prithviraj Sutar, a former corporator from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), is preparing to contest this seat. Raj Thackeray-led MNS too has announced that it will contest the election solo with former corporator Kishor Shinde as likely candidate.
Vadgaon Sheri constituency
Sunil Tingre from the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP, who is the current MLA, faces competition from former BJP MLA Jagdish Mulik and former Shiv Sena corporator Sanjay Bhosle. Anil Tingre, a former BJP corporator, is also a contender while former MLA and corporator Bapu Pathare is reportedly considering joining the NCP (SP) to contest polls from here.
Khadakwasla constituency
Former NCP corporators Sachin Dodke and Kaka Chavan are preparing to contest the assembly elections from here while BJP’s Prasanna Jagtap, Vikas Dangat, and Dilip Vedepatil have also expressed interest. From the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, former deputy mayor Dilip Barate has already staked claim for the ticket.
Hadapsar constituency
The current MLA, Chetan Tupe from the NCP (Ajit Pawar group), is facing competition from former NCP (Sharad Pawar group) corporator Prashant Jagtap and Yogesh Sasane, both vying for candidacies in this key constituency.
Kasba constituency
Current MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, a former corporator who won the recent by-election, is expected to contest again. BJP former corporator and Pune city president Dheeraj Ghate is also seeking nomination from the Kasba constituency.
Shivajinagar constituency
Sitting BJP MLA Siddharth Shirole is facing competition from within his party as former corporator Sunny Nimhan is keen to contest the assembly elections. From the Congress, former corporator Dattatray Bhairat is an aspirant.
Pune Cantonment
Avinash Salve, formerly with the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), has now joined Congress and is preparing to contest from the Pune Cantonment constituency.
Kolhapur corporators eye assembly seats
In Kolhapur, where Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) previously held sway in the municipal corporation, several corporators are preparing to contest from the north constituency. From the Congress, Sachin Chavan, Sarangdhar Deshmukh, Raju Latkar and Tausif Mulani are vying for the seat while from the NCP, R K Pawar (Sharad Pawar faction) and Adil Faras (Ajit Pawar faction) are set to enter the race.
Nashik’s political landscape
In Nashik, former Shiv Sena corporator Ajay Boraste has expressed interest in contesting from the Nashik central constituency. Senior political figures like Vilas Shinde from Sena (UBT), Hemlata Patil from Congress, and former mayor Ashok Murtadak from MNS are also showing interest in contesting.
