Pune, 4th February 2026: After securing a second consecutive majority in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday filed its nominations for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts.
The Congress, maintaining its role as the opposition, also entered candidates for both positions, setting the stage for a contest that initially appeared unopposed.
The BJP has nominated Manjusha Nagpure for the Mayor’s post, while Parshuram Wadekar from the BJP–Republican Party of India (Athawale faction) alliance has been fielded for Deputy Mayor. Both candidates submitted their nomination papers within the stipulated deadline.
The Congress, continuing its oppositional stance in the civic body, announced Ashwini Landge as its mayoral candidate and Sahil Kedari for the Deputy Mayor’s post. City Congress president Arvind Shinde formally declared the names before the candidates filed their nominations.
The political situation took an unexpected turn when the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) decided to enter the race at last hour. Until Tuesday morning, there was speculation that the party might stay away from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections following the recent demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
During the day, Congress leader Arvind Shinde reiterated the party’s position, stating that “a vote for the NCP effectively helps the BJP,” a line the Congress has maintained earlier as well.
However, soon after, internal discussions within the NCP gained momentum. A meeting involving NCP corporator leader advocate Nilesh Nikam, city president Sunil Tingre, and MLA Chetan Tupe was held, followed by consultations with senior party leaders.
Following these deliberations, the NCP decided to contest both posts. Sheetal Sawant was named as the party’s mayoral candidate, while Datta Bahirat was fielded for the Deputy Mayor’s post. Both candidates promptly filed their nomination papers.
With this development, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections have transformed from what was expected to be a mere formality into a three-cornered contest involving the BJP, Congress, and NCP.
Voting for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts is scheduled for Monday, February 9. Candidates will be allowed a 15-minute window on the same day to withdraw their nominations.
Whether the NCP stays in the race or withdraws at the last moment will become clear then, adding further suspense to the civic power battle.
