Local BJP workers oppose alliance, want to contest civic elections independently 

Despite senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, announcing plans to contest the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections in alliance with Mahayuti partners, several local BJP workers are pushing to contest independently. 

While speaking to the media recently, CM Fadnavis stated, “The municipal elections will be held on time, and our stand is to contest as part of the Mahayuti alliance, except in areas where both alliance partners are strong. In such cases, there will be friendly contests without making allegations against each other. Post-election alliances can also be considered.” 

Following this announcement, Fadnavis met with the local party unit. During the meeting, several local leaders and former corporators reportedly urged him to allow the party to contest independently in Pune, citing a strong chance of securing a clear majority. 

Speaking to the media on Friday, MP and Minister of State (MoS) for Cooperation and Civil Aviation, Mohol said, “As our senior leader CM Devendra Fadnavis has clarified, we will contest the elections in Pune as part of the Mahayuti.” 

However, some BJP leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed concerns.  

“We currently hold 105 seats, so naturally, we expect to contest at least that many. We will demand more seats, but it’s unlikely Ajit Pawar will agree to this,” one leader said. 

Another BJP leader added, “NCP is not a long-standing alliance partner. If the BJP has a clear path to majority, it would be better to contest independently.” 

Meanwhile, Congress city unit president Arvind Shinde commented, “We will contest the elections as part of the Mahayuti, and discussions regarding the polls will begin soon.” 

Another Congress leader, also speaking anonymously, said, “It is likely that the BJP and NCP will form an alliance in Pune. BJP will ask Ajit Pawar for more seats in Mumbai in exchange for flexibility in Pune. For the BJP, Mumbai is the priority this time.”