The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday retained power in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, defeating a united challenge from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) in a decisive outcome in the civic polls.
The BJP also registered victories across western Maharashtra, including Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur and Satara districts, consolidating its urban footprint in the region.
In Pune, results for 135 of the 165 seats were declared by late evening. The BJP secured a commanding 95 seats, while the Indian National Congress won 15, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP 20, and the NCP (SP) two seats. In the neighbouring industrial hub of Pimpri-Chinchwad, the BJP retained control by winning 84 of the 127 seats, with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP finishing second with 36.
During the campaign, Ajit Pawar mounted a sharp attack on his state-level ally, the BJP, accusing its local leadership of stalled development and corruption in both civic bodies over the past nine years. His party’s reduced strength in Pune is expected to weaken his leverage within the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.
Seeking to counter the BJP’s growing dominance, Ajit Pawar had aligned with the NCP (SP), more than two years after splitting from his uncle Sharad Pawar. In Pune, he directly targeted Union Minister and city MP Murlidhar Mohol, while in Pimpri-Chinchwad he accused BJP MLA Mahesh Landge of corruption in the civic administration.
Reacting to the results, Mohol said the BJP fought the elections on a development agenda and thanked voters for renewing their trust in the party. Ajit Pawar, in a post on X, said he accepted the verdict with humility, adding that the people’s mandate was supreme.
