Assembly polls: Three-way battle likely in Pune’s Wadgaonsheri despite alliance

The Wadgaonsheri assembly constituency is gearing up for a potential three-way contest, despite an alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

While the Mahayuti alliance agreement suggests that the seat should go to the NCP, whose MLA Sunil Tingre currently represents it, there has been growing demand within the BJP to not give up the seat. The recent high-profile Porsche car accident in Kalyaninagar, where the local MLA’s visit to the police station gained national attention, has fuelled BJP’s argument that the seat should remain with them. Its leader Jagdish Mulik has meanwhile made up its mind not to relent if seat goes to the NCP.

Meanwhile, former MLA Bapu Pathare, who left the BJP to join Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction, and his son Surendra are hoping to contest under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) banner.

With all three—Tingre, Mulik, and Pathare—determined to contest the election, a three-cornered fight seems likely, despite the alliance agreements. Mulik remains hopeful that the seat will stay with the BJP. “I am confident that Wadgaonsheri will remain with the BJP in the Mahayuti alliance. I have been actively preparing for the election, and my meetings with voters are ongoing,” he said.

Tingre, meanwhile, is firm in his stance. “According to the Mahayuti agreement, the sitting seat stays with the incumbent party. I have been campaigning and am fully prepared to contest. Though my rivals are raising the issue of the car accident, I had no involvement, as I clarified earlier. This is just a political tactic because they have no other issues to attack me on. I’ve done substantial development work in the constituency, and I’m confident of my victory,” he said.

Sources suggest that while both Mulik and Tingre are adamant about contesting, there is still hope for a “friendly contest” in the Wadgaonsheri seat. Senior leaders from both parties may intervene after the nomination process and try to convince one of the candidates to withdraw their papers to avoid a direct clash.

For now, however, the stage is set for a possible three-way battle between the BJP, Ajit Pawar’s NCP, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction, with each candidate determined to stake their claim.