Pune, 9th February 2026: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manjusha Nagpure was elected as the new Mayor of Pune Municipal Corporation unopposed on Monday, following the withdrawal of candidates by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Parashuram Wadekar of the BJP–RPI (Athawale group) alliance was also elected Deputy Mayor without contest.
The mayoral election was held in the main hall of the Pune Municipal Corporation, with District Collector Jitendra Dudi acting as the presiding officer. The election process began around 11:15 am, during which valid nominations were filed by BJP, Congress and NCP candidates.
According to the election procedure, candidates were given 15 minutes to withdraw their nominations. During this window, discussions took place between leaders of the BJP, Congress and NCP.
Subsequently, NCP candidate Sheetal Sawant and Congress candidate Ashwini Landge withdrew from the mayoral race. Following this, Presiding Officer Dudi announced Nagpure’s unopposed election as Mayor.
Earlier, BJP group leader Ganesh Bidkar had appealed to opposition leaders to allow an unopposed election in view of the recent demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, veteran social activist Dr Babasaheb Aadhav, senior Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi and former Mayor Shantilal Suratwala.
The process for the Deputy Mayor’s post began shortly after. Congress candidate Sahil Kedari and NCP candidate Datta Bahirat withdrew their nominations, paving the way for Parashuram Wadekar’s unopposed election. Dudi later formally declared the completion of the election process.
The unopposed results reflect the political arithmetic in the PMC, where the BJP emerged as the dominant force in the recent civic elections, winning 122 of the 165 seats. The NCP secured 20 seats, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) won three seats, and the Congress finished with 15 seats, creating a clear majority for the BJP and enabling a consensus-driven mayoral election.
Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol congratulated Nagpure and Wadekar in the municipal hall following their election.
