Pune Rural Local Elections: NCP Tops Councillor Count, BJP and Shiv Sena Share Remaining Gains

Pune, 22nd December 2025: The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has reinforced its political hold over Pune district after securing the president’s posts in a majority of local civic bodies, according to the results of elections to 14 municipal councils and three nagar panchayats declared on Sunday.

Of the 17 local bodies where results were announced, the NCP won control of 10 by securing the top posts, while the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena emerged victorious in four councils and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in three. The post of president is a key position in municipal councils, vested with executive authority and responsible for chairing council meetings and overseeing decision-making.

Collectively, the Mahayuti alliance — comprising the NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena — dominated the elections across the district. Out of 398 councillor seats contested, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP secured the highest tally with 164 seats. The BJP won 88 seats, while the Shiv Sena accounted for 55.

In contrast, parties aligned with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) were limited to 34 seats, including 23 won by the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction, six by the Congress and five by the Shiv Sena (UBT).

Most contests witnessed direct competition among Mahayuti partners, with candidates from the NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena pitted against each other. In some civic bodies, local-level understandings also shaped the outcomes. Talegaon Dabhade was the only municipality where the NCP and BJP formally contested together, having agreed to share the mayor’s post for two-and-a-half years each.

The NCP retained the president’s posts in Baramati — Ajit Pawar’s stronghold — where it defeated the Sharad Pawar-led faction. The party also emerged on top in Malegaon, Bhor, Indapur, Jejuri, Shirur, Lonavla, Wadgaon Maval, Daund and Phursungi–Uruli Devachi.

Reacting to the results, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the mandate reflected public confidence in the ruling alliance. “These elections were conducted after nearly nine years, and for almost four years the local bodies functioned without elected representatives. The results show that people have placed their trust in the Mahayuti, and the credit goes to the sustained efforts of party workers at the grassroots,” Pawar said.

Several results stood out for their political significance. In Bhor, the NCP secured the president’s post by defeating a candidate backed by former MLA Sangram Thopte, despite the BJP winning 16 of the 20 councillor seats. The Thopte family had long dominated local politics when aligned with the Congress.

In Saswad, the BJP registered a landmark victory by winning the municipal council for the first time, ending the long-standing dominance of a local alliance led by former Congress leader Chandukaka Jagtap. His son, former MLA Sanjay Jagtap, who recently joined the BJP, played a key role in the party securing 13 seats.

Indapur witnessed a closely fought contest, with NCP candidate Bharat Shah winning the president’s post by a narrow margin of 120 votes against Pradeep Garatkar, the NCP’s Pune district president. The contest saw unusual political equations, with Garatkar backed by an alliance involving the BJP, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP faction and former minister Harshavardhan Patil under the Krishna–Bhima Vikas Aghadi. Shah, meanwhile, led the official NCP panel with the support of state agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne.

The Manchar nagar panchayat, which went to polls for the first time since its formation, delivered a fractured verdict. Shiv Sena candidate Rajshree Ganjale won the mayoral race by 210 votes, defeating NCP’s Monika Bankhile, who was backed by senior leaders Dilip Walse Patil and former MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil.

The BJP dominated the Alandi Municipal Council, where its candidate Prashant Kurhade won by a comfortable margin of 6,690 votes against NCP’s Prakash Kurhade. In Rajgurunagar, Shiv Sena’s Mangesh Gundal defeated NCP candidate Kiran Aher by 2,108 votes. Meanwhile, in Chakan, the Shiv Sena candidate supported by the Shiv Sena (UBT) secured the president’s post, defeating the NCP nominee.

The results underline the continued dominance of the Mahayuti alliance in Pune district’s local politics, while also highlighting shifting equations and emerging challenges for opposition parties at the grassroots level.