BJP wins six city seats, Mahayuti trumps in rural Pune with eight victories

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) improved its tally in Pune city by one seat, winning six constituencies in the assembly elections, while also making significant gains in the rural parts of the district. In Pune city, the BJP emerged victorious in Kothrud, Parvati, Shivajinagar, Pune Cantonment, Khadakwasla, and Kasba Peth. The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party retained Hadapsar, while Wadgaonsheri went to the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). In 2019, the saffron party had won six, while the NCP (undivided) bagged two in city.

The Mahayuti continued its dominance in Pimpri-Chinchwad, retaining all three seats—two held by the BJP and one by the NCP. In the rural parts of the district, the Mahayuti won eight of ten seats, leaving NCP (SP) with just one, while an Independent candidate claimed the remaining seat of Junnar. Of the 21 assembly constituencies in Pune district, 10 are in rural areas.

Several sitting MLAs in Pune city retained their seats, including Chandrakant Patil in Kothrud, Siddharth Shirole in Shivajinagar, Madhuri Misal in Parvati, Bhimrao Tapkir in Khadakwasla, Chetan Tupe in Hadapsar, and Sunil Kamble in Pune Cantonment. New faces included Hemant Rasne, who reclaimed Kasba Peth for the BJP by defeating Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar, and Bapu Pathare, who narrowly defeated NCP (SP)’s Sunil Tingre in Wadgaonsheri by a margin of 4,710 votes.

The Kasba Peth contest was particularly significant, as the Congress had previously won the seat in March 2023 by-election. Determined to reclaim it, the BJP mobilised significant resources, with leaders and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers campaigning extensively. The combined efforts paid off as Rasne secured the seat for the party. In Wadgaonsheri, Pathare’s victory ensured that he became the only opposition MLA in the city after switching to the NCP (SP) from the BJP just before the elections.

Union minister of state and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol expressed satisfaction with the BJP’s performance and said, “We were confident about our victory. Voters prefer development and our leadership. They have given a clear mandate to us.”

BJP city unit president Dheeraj Ghate credited the party’s success to the hard work of its workers and leaders, adding, “These results reflect the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis, and we hope to see him as the next chief minister.”

Despite being Sharad Pawar’s home district, his NCP (SP) and the Congress suffered a major blow in rural Pune. Ajit Pawar’s NCP and its allies in the Mahayuti emerged as the dominant force in the district, including Baramati, where Ajit Pawar firmly held his ground. “The people have given their mandate to us, and we will strive to live up to their expectations,” Ajit said after the results.

In a stark contrast to the previous assembly elections, the Congress, which had three MLAs in the district, failed to retain a single seat. Sitting MLAs Sangram Thopte from Bhor, Sanjay Jagtap from Purandar, and Ravindra Dhangekar from Kasba Peth all lost, leaving the party without representation in the district.

Sharad Pawar’s extensive campaigning, including multiple rallies to support his candidates, failed to yield results in key constituencies. In Indapur, former minister Harshvardhan Patil, who had switched from the BJP to NCP (SP), lost to Dattatray Bharne of Ajit’s NCP, who secured his third consecutive win. In Shirur, Pawar loyalist Ashok Pawar was defeated, while in Bhor, Congress leader Sangram Thopte lost to BJP’s Rahul Jagtap.

In Ambegaon, minister Dilip Walse Patil overcame intense criticism from Sharad Pawar to win decisively. In Khed-Alandi, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena candidate Babaji Kale surprised many by defeating sitting NCP MLA Dilip Mohite.

Purandar saw a unique dynamic as Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leader Vijay Shivthare won against Congress candidate Sanjay Jagtap. Although the NCP had fielded Sambhaji Zende in what was officially termed a “friendly contest”, BJP insiders claimed it was a strategic move to split the opposition vote. Zende’s 40,000 votes are believed to have played a crucial role in Shivthare’s victory.

The election results highlighted Ajit’s growing influence in Pune district, with the Mahayuti’s cohesive strategy delivering decisive wins. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) and the Congress face an uncertain future in both urban and rural Pune.