Pune civic body polls: Husband-wife, mother-son duos lead race for family legacies

Political families in Pune are eager to maintain their political influence by fielding a member in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections. However, some families are taking it a step further by fielding not just one, but two members to contest the January 15 polls.

These include husband-wife pairs, fathers and sons, mothers and sons, and sisters-in-law, all seeking to preserve their family’s political legacy in the city. In fact, no major party has refrained from fielding two family members for civic elections.

With 165 seats in the Pune civic body, the competition is fierce, as elections have been delayed for nearly 9 years due to legal issues over seat reservations.

Among the husband-wife duo, the Congress has fielded former corporator Avinash Bagwe and his wife, Indira Bagwe, from the Kashewadi-Dias Plot ward. The Bagwes have a political ground with Ramesh Bagwe, Avinash’s father, who was a corporator and a state minister.

The BJP is also fielding multiple candidates from the same family in the elections. They have nominated Surendra Pathare to contest from the Kharadi-Wagholi ward and his wife Aishwarya Pathare from the Vimannagar-Lohegaon ward. Surendra is the son of the sitting NCP (SP) legislator Bapusaheb Pathare, who represents Vadgaonsheri.

The BJP has also fielded a couple, Sanjay Bhosale from the Yerawada-Gandhinagar ward and his wife, Ashwini Bhosale, from the Pune station-Jay Jawannagar ward. Bhosale is a former Shiv Sena corporator who switched parties days before the civic polls.

“The BJP has fielded candidates only considering their winning ability. The party normally do not field more than one candidate from one family, but there were exceptions as both candidates are strong,” said a BJP leader. Incidentally, both couples have been inducted into the BJP ahead of civic polls.

Three mother-son duos are contesting the Pune civic body elections. Former mayor Prashant Jagtap and his mother, Ratnaprabha Jagtap, are running as Congress candidates from the Wanowrie-Salunkhe Vihar ward. The two have successfully been elected to the civic body together in the past.

The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has fielded Nilesh Girme and his mother Radhika Girme from the Narhe-Vadgaon Budhruk-Dhayari ward. It has also given candidature to Pratibha Dhangekar, wife of former legislator Ravindra Dhangekar, from the Raviwar Peth-Nana Peth ward, and to her son, Pranav Dhangekar, from the Kasba Ganpati-Kamla Nehru hospital ward.

As for father-son duos, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has two: former corporator Vasant More, fielded from the Balajinagar-Ambegaon-Katraj ward, and his son Rupesh More, from the Kondhwa Budhruk-Yeolewadi ward.

Stepbrothers are also running for office. Harshwardhan Mankar is contesting as an NCP candidate from Rambaug Colony-Shivteerthnagar ward, while his stepbrother Raghvendra Mankar is a BJP candidate from Shaniwar Peth-Mahatma Phule Mandai ward. The two are sons of former corporator and NCP leader Deepak Mankar.

The NCP has also fielded sisters-in-law in PMC polls. Former corporator Priya Gadade is contesting from Janta Vasahat-Hingane Khurd ward, while Akshada Gadade, wife of her brother Premraj, is contesting from Navi Peth-Parvati ward.

“There were many such combinations from a family who sought party candidature to contest the PMC elections, but only those were given a party ticket in wards where they were the strongest,” said the NCP leader.