Pune bypolls is litmus test for Sena-BJP and MVA amid fast-changing political scenario

Amid the fast-changing political scenario following the formal split in the Shiv Sena and the intra-party and inter-party differences among the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, the BJP is putting up its might in the bye-elections to two seats in Pune but faces several challenges.

Pune is Maharashtra’s cultural capital, industrial and automobile hub and a base for IT and ITES giants.

The elections to the Kasba Peth seat of Pune city and Chinchwad in its hustling-bustling sister city of Pimpri-Chinchwad on February 26 is going to be crucial.

The politics of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will play a major role in these elections.

Read | Ahead of bypolls, BJP, Cong show party strength in Pune

Though the beleaguered Uddhav Thackeray-led group of Shiv Sena is not contesting the polls it has thrown its weight behind the MVA candidates.

It is going to be a sort of litmus test for both, the ruling Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and BJP spearheaded by Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the opposition anti-BJP coalition MCA, which comprises the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Congress and Uddhav’s group.

The elections to Kasba Peth and Chinchwad have been necessitated because of the death of BJP legislators - Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, respectively.

In Kasba Peth, where 10 candidates are in the fray, the contest is going to be directly between Hemant Rasane (BJP) and Ravindra Dhangekar (Congress), while in Chinchwad, where 28 are in the reckoning, there is going to be a triangular contest involving Ashwini Jagtap (BJP), Nana Kate (NCP) and Rahul Kalate, a rebel of the Uddhav-group. Incidentally, Prakash Ambedkar-backed Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi has backed Kalate.

“Kasba Peth has traditionally been a BJP stronghold almost like a bastion in Pune for the BJP. Veteran Girish Bapat, who is now the Pune MP, had represented the Assembly seat for close to three decades. This time, the BJP fielded Rasane, who had been the Standing Committee Chairman of PMC, while Dhangekar is a five-time corporator in the PMC. It is going to be a tough fight,” said veteran political analyst Rohit Chandavarkar.

Read | Pune bypolls: Time to take traitors to task, says Maha Vikas Aghadi

There is already resentment as Mukta Tilak’s husband Shailesh Tilak was denied a ticket. In fact, some unidentified persons put up banners across the city saying that the BJP is ignoring Brahmins, a community which has stood solidly behind the party for the longest time.

In fact, BJP had to bring in an ailing Bapat in a wheelchair in one of the meetings where he spoke for a minute.

The Congress, however, has put its might with state unit President Nana Patole, three former Chief Ministers - Prithviraj Chavan, Ashok Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat among others campaigning for him.

In Chinchwad, the BJP, however, gave a ticket to Jagtap’s wife Ashwini. Here, the choice of Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar was Kate, a former Leader of the Opposition in PCMC. Kalate, an Independent candidate, had been the Shiv Sena’s leader of the House in the PCMC - and had contested the Chinchwad seat in 2019 as an Independent but lost to Jagtap. He did not pay heed to the request of Uddhav to withdraw and back NCP - despite an alliance with the Uddhav group and this has come as an embarrassment for the MVA.

In Pune, winning the two seats is a matter of prestige and Shinde, Fadnavis, state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, state minister Chandrakant Patil, Pankaja Munde are campaigning.

Though Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not address any rally in Pune, he spoke to top leaders during his visit there.