7 former mayors in fray in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s high-stakes civic elections

The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) election on January 15 is shaping up to be a high-stakes battle for prestige, with seven former mayors in the fray.

Contesting this time are the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP’s) Yogesh Behl and Vaishali Ghodekar, and the BJP’s Aparna Doke, Mai Dhore, Shakuntala Darade, Rahul Jadhav, and Nitin Kalje. In contrast, only three former mayors had contested the last election held in 2017.

While Behl is contesting against BJP’s Satish Nagargoje in Prabhag No. 30, Kasarwadi-Sant Tukaram Nagar, Ghodekar is contesting from Prabhag No. 9, Nehrunagar-Kharalwadi, against BJP’s Meenaj Inamdar.

“Yes, I am contesting again from the Kasarwadi-Sant Tukaram Nagar area. I have won all past elections in the same area. Every election is a challenge. I do not take any election lightly,” Behl told The Indian Express. The president of the NCP’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, Behl is known for his proximity to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

Among the BJP contenders, Doke is fighting from Prabhag No. 19, Chinchwad-Keshavnagar, and facing a challenge from NCP’s Puja Agnan. Meanwhile, Dhore is trying her luck from Prabhag No. 32, Sangvi-Shitolenagar, where she is contesting against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Varsha Pongde, NCP’s Ujwala Dhore, and BJP rebel candidate Sharda Sonawane.

While Darade is in the fray from Prabhag No. 39, Pimple Gurav-Jawalkarnagar, where she is facing a challenge from NCP’s Sunita Kolap, Jadhav is contesting from Prabhag No. 2, Moshi-Borhadewadi, against NCP’s Vishal Aher.

Kalje is in the fray from Prabhag No. 3, Charholi-Dudalgaon, where he will face off against Prakash Alhat of the NCP.

Apart from these candidates, the sons of several former mayors are also contesting the PCMC polls. While Nitin Landge, son of Pimpri-Chinchwad’s first mayor Dynaneshwar Landge, is in the fray from Bhosari, Atul Shitole, son of the late former mayor Nana Shitole, is contesting from Sangvi. Rahul Bhosale, son of former mayor Hanumant Bhosale, is once again contesting from Nehrunagar, and Kushagra Kadam, the son of former mayor Mangala Kadam, is contesting from Sambhaji Nagar.

“As of now, it looks like almost all the former mayors are better placed. But…anything can happen. We do not know the undercurrent of particular areas, how voters will react, etc. It will not be a cakewalk…,” Avinash Chilekar, political analyst, said.