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With no seat, Congress faces wipeout in Pune city and district
The defeat underscores the party’s shrinking influence in a region once dominated by stalwarts like Mohan Dharia, Vitthalrao Gadgil, and Suresh Kalmadi
Once considered a Congress bastion, Pune city and its rural parts have now become entirely “Congress-mukt”, with the party failing to secure a single seat in Saturday’s assembly election results. This marks a dramatic fall for the party in a district with 21 assembly constituencies and four Lok Sabha seats, none of which now have representation from the grand old party.
In the previous assembly, Congress held three seats in Pune district: Sangram Thopte (Bhor), Sanjay Jagtap (Purandar), and Ravindra Dhangekar (Kasba Peth). However, all three sitting MLAs lost their elections this time. The defeat underscores the party’s shrinking influence in a region once dominated by stalwarts like Mohan Dharia, Vitthalrao Gadgil, and Suresh Kalmadi.
The party’s fortunes have not only declined in Pune, but also across western Maharashtra, where its presence is now reduced to a few isolated constituencies. Of the 21 seats, the Congress contested five this time.
According to political observers, internal dissent has further weakened the Congress campaign. Three prominent leaders—Aba Bagul (Parvati), Manish Anand (Shivajinagar), and Kamal Vyavahare (Kasba Peth)—rebelled against official candidates, aiding the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) path to victory.
Congress leaders have acknowledged the grim reality. Arvind Shinde, a senior party leader, said, “We respect the voters’ mandate, though the results are disappointing. Many surprise outcomes have emerged, with even leaders like Balasaheb Thorat, Prithviraj Chavan, and Yashomati Thakur losing. We now need to focus on rebuilding the organisation.”
In 2019, Congress had two MLAs from Pune district while in 2023 bypoll, it also managed to wrest Kasba Peth, a BJP stronghold. This time, the party lost all these seats.
Congress leader Mohan Joshi said, “Our party has lost its representation in Pune, which is a serious setback. We need to introspect and instil confidence within the party for upcoming local elections.”
Another senior Congress leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, emphasised the need for a leadership overhaul. “In other parties like the BJP, NCP, Shiv Sena, and MNS, the third and younger generations are being actively groomed for leadership roles. Every decade, they deliberately create space for new leaders. In Congress, however, the same old leaders dominate the city. It’s time for senior leaders to step back into advisory roles and pave the way for new leadership.”
According to political observer Mahesh Sane, the complete absence of Congress from Pune, a city it once dominated, is a significant indicator of its organisational and electoral decline. “The challenge now lies in rejuvenating the party with fresh leadership and strategies to regain its foothold in the region,” he said.
How rebels performed
Aba Bagul garnered 10,476 votes in Parvati
Manish Anand received 13,601 votes in Shivajinagar
Kamal Vyavahare managed 552 votes in Kasba Peth
