PUNE: Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday attracted more leaders from both the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), further weakening the Opposition’s organisational base at the local level.
More leaders join BJP ahead of civic polls; Sena (UBT) left with no former corporators in Pune
On Tuesday, NCP-SP leader Rahul Kalate, a prominent face from Pimpri-Chinchwad, joined the BJP in Mumbai. Kalate was the runner-up in the recent Assembly elections from Chinchwad, where he had contested against BJP candidate and sitting MLA Shankar Jagtap.
The induction took place at the BJP office in the presence of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan and Shankar Jagtap. Kalate is expected to contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections from Ward No. 25, which includes rapidly developing areas such as Punawale, Tathawade and parts of Wakad.
Kalate’s entry, however, has reportedly caused unease among a section of local BJP workers, who are unhappy about campaigning for a leader who had earlier contested against the late BJP MLA Laxman Jagtap’s wife Ashwini Jagtap, as well as against Shankar Jagtap. Despite the resistance, the party leadership went ahead with the induction.
“Believing in the vision of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Ravindra Chavan and MLA Shankar Jagtap, I have joined the BJP so that development works in our area can gain momentum,” Kalate said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) suffered another setback in Pune with its last two former corporators in the Pune Municipal Corporation, Prithviraj Sutar and Sanjay Bhosale, joining the BJP on Tuesday. With their exit, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party no longer has a single former corporator in Pune.
Shiv Sena (UBT) had won 10 seats in the last PMC elections. After the split in the Shiv Sena, two corporators joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction, while others gradually moved to the BJP. Former corporators Vishal Dhanwade, Bala Oswal, Sangeeta Thosar, Pallavi Jawale and Prachi Alhat have joined the BJP, while Shewata Chavan joined the NCP and Avinash Salve moved to the Congress. Except for Salve, all others are now part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Explaining their decision, Sutar and Bhosale said, “The BJP and we have a natural alliance. We both believe in Hindutva, and that is why we decided to join the BJP.”
The defection of Sutar is being seen as particularly significant given his family’s long association with the Shiv Sena. His father, Shashikant Sutar, was close to Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and served as a minister. Despite the BJP’s strong presence in the Kothrud Assembly constituency, Prithviraj Sutar had continued to keep the Shiv Sena organisationally active in the area for years.
Some Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, blamed the party’s leadership for the erosion in Pune. “Pune is just 200 km from Mumbai and one of the most important cities in the state. Despite having a base here, the leadership never focused on expanding the party in the city. Senior leaders rarely visited Pune, and as a result, corporators left one by one,” a leader said.
With civic elections approaching, the twin developments underline the BJP’s continued success in drawing leaders from rival parties, while the Opposition struggles to retain its urban grassroots leadership in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
