To The Point: The ‘Incoming’ of Disgruntled BJP Members is the Swelling of Mahavikas Aghadi!

Pimpri, Pune | The campaigning for the second phase of the Assembly elections has reached its peak. Meetings and gatherings of senior leaders have begun in the city. Amidst this, the leaders and candidates of Mahavikas Aghadi are more preoccupied with how many disgruntled BJP leaders have joined them, and what political benefits they can gain from it, rather than discussing the city’s ‘vision’ or what they have done or plan to do. However, political analysts believe that the ‘incoming’ of disgruntled BJP members will not provide much electoral advantage to Mahavikas Aghadi.

Mahavikas Aghadi’s seat-sharing arrangement has been finalized. Prior to that, several aspiring candidates joined Mahavikas Aghadi hoping for tickets. Among them are Ajit Ghavane from Bhosari and former Corporator Ravi Landge. Ghavane joined the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), while Landge joined the Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction). Previously, Ghavane was the city president of the NCP’s Ajit Pawar faction and a leader of the ruling party, while Landge had been elected unopposed as a Corporator on a BJP ticket.

The situation in Pimpri and Chinchwad is no different. In Pimpri, former Standing Committee Chairperson Seema Sawale, who had been elected as a Corporator on a BJP ticket, had shown keen interest in contesting the Assembly elections. In Chinchwad, Chandrakant Nakhate also had the opportunity to enter the Assembly due to the BJP’s support. Both leaders were intensely vying for the Assembly ticket, but despite efforts from both Mahavikas Aghadi and the BJP, neither received the opportunity. These two leaders are now likely to join the NCP’s Sharad Pawar faction, with Nakhate recently resigning from the BJP’s membership.

“Ajit Ghavane claims, ‘I have 40 Corporators with me’”

This claim turned out to be a ‘plus point’ for his candidature. Meanwhile, MP Dr. Amol Kolhe convinced party leaders to back Rahul Kalate from Chinchwad. In Pimpri, Sharad Pawar Fractions Loyalist Sulakshana Shilwant’s candidature was endorsed by state president Jayant Patil. As a result, the entire city became embroiled in political discussions, and the ‘Mashal’ seemed merely for show.

Within Mahavikas Aghadi, there were heated political discussions regarding ticket distribution for Bhosari and Chinchwad. The decision regarding Pimpri’s seat became a challenge for the party leadership. After much debate, Sharad Pawar’s faction managed to secure all three seats in the city, leaving Shiv Sena loyalists disgruntled. Though leaders appear united on the Mahavikas Aghadi platform, finding workers from the Thackeray faction and Congress is almost impossible, highlighting the reality of the situation.

Turning Away in Crisis… Now Welcoming Them Back… A Mistake?

In an effort to dampen BJP’s morale ahead of the Assembly elections, Mahavikas Aghadi seems to have adopted a strategy of gradually bringing in disgruntled former BJP Corporators and gaining political mileage through the media. This narrative seems to have been planned post the Lok Sabha election results. So far, 13 Corporators have left the BJP, including former city president and former ruling party leader Eknath Pawar, as well as Sarika Landge, all citing political ambitions or dissatisfaction with local leadership as reasons for their exit. However, the key question remains: how much influence do these former Corporators have in their constituencies? Many of them were elected with BJP’s symbol or with the help of local leaders such as late Laxman Jagtap in Chinchwad and MLA Mahesh Landge in Bhosari. This is an important point to consider.

On the other hand, despite the large-scale influx of former BJP members, the situation within Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction is not entirely smooth. Some loyalists of Pawar, who had remained with the party during the tough times, express regret about bringing back those who had turned their backs on the party in times of crisis. They feel that awarding them tickets now is a mistake. This is something Mahavikas Aghadi’s leaders cannot overlook.

What Does the Lok Sabha Election Result Indicate?

Before the Lok Sabha elections, there was a significant split between Shiv Sena and NCP. Several senior leaders and MLAs left Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar’s factions, deciding to join the ruling side. Despite the departure of 35-40 MLAs, the strike rate of the Thackeray and Pawar factions remained stronger than that of Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar’s factions. Dr. Amol Kolhe, despite having no MLAs on his side in the Shirur constituency, and Shrirang Barne in Maval, both won with record-breaking votes. This suggests that the strength of a candidate lies not in the number of Corporators or leaders behind them but in their individual capabilities.

Since 2022, administrative power in the municipal corporation has been with the government, reducing the public interaction of former Corporators. Therefore, Mahavikas Aghadi’s strategy of rallying disgruntled former BJP members might be like dreaming of winning a war using unreliable foot soldiers. The leaders of Mahavikas Aghadi must keep this in mind. Meanwhile, the citizens of Pimpri-Chinchwad expect the leaders to discuss not just political maneuvering, but also what Mahavikas Aghadi has done during its two and a half years in power: how many pending issues were resolved, and what the ‘vision’ for the future holds.