“Cities Ruined Wherever BJP Is in Power,” Says Aaditya Thackeray in Pune
Pune, 20th December 2025: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging a decline in political standards in Maharashtra and claiming that cities governed by the BJP have failed to witness meaningful development.
Addressing a press conference in Pune ahead of the upcoming municipal corporation elections, Thackeray alleged that bogus voters were being added to electoral rolls and money was being distributed during municipal council and nagar panchayat polls. He questioned the functioning of the Election Commission and said the political environment in the state had deteriorated.
“Wherever the BJP is in power, cities are being ruined. Despite single-party dominance, city leadership has failed to deliver real development,” Thackeray said, adding that the situation in BJP-ruled cities across the country was no different.
Thackeray highlighted several civic issues affecting Pune, including worsening traffic congestion, unchecked urbanisation and environmental degradation in the name of development projects. “Pune is changing rapidly, but not for the better. A commute that should take 10 to 15 minutes now takes over an hour due to traffic jams. Law and order issues are also
increasing,” he said.
Referring to environmental concerns, Thackeray recalled complaints raised by environmentalists during his tenure as a minister regarding projects at Vetal Tekdi and Dr Salim Ali Garden.
“Development should not come at the cost of environmental destruction,” he asserted, alleging that destruction was being carried out in the name of development.
He also criticised the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the MGNREGA scheme, claiming that the government appeared “afraid of Gandhi’s legacy”.
Taking aim at the BJP’s governance record in Pune, Thackeray said the city failed to get an international-standard airport and accused the party of taking credit for work done by previous governments. He suggested that exhibitions should be organised to present the reality of development to citizens.
Thackeray further alleged that issues related to language and religion were being used to instigate unrest, while core civic problems such as traffic congestion, law and order and governance failures continued to worsen. He demanded answers from the Home Minister, noting that persistent traffic problems were affecting investments in the city.
Expressing concern over Pune’s future, Thackeray said the rapid expansion of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad required focused planning. “We care deeply about Pune. We will work towards environmental protection, better footpaths, improved roads, traffic management and stronger law and order,” he said.
Senior party leaders Sachin Ahir, city chief Sanjay More, Gajanan More and Vasant More were present at the press conference and also shared their views.
