Who Will Be the Next Mayor of Pune?

Pune, 17th January 2026: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has secured a decisive mandate in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, taking the lead in 119 seats and firmly establishing its dominance in the city. While minor changes in the final numbers are possible once the official results are fully notified, the overall verdict clearly favours the BJP and delivers a major setback to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

According to the provisional tally, both factions of the NCP together could manage only 30 seats in Pune. The Congress improved its position with 15 seats, while the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) was reduced to just one seat. The Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) failed to open their account.
Party-wise Seat Tally
– BJP: 119
– NCP (Ajit Pawar faction): 27
– NCP (Sharad Pawar faction): 3
– Congress: 15
– Shiv Sena (UBT): 1

The results underline BJP’s sweeping performance across wards and signal a sharp decline in the urban base of the NCP, particularly the Ajit Pawar faction.
Who Will Be Pune’s Next Mayor?
With the results now largely clear, attention has shifted to the election of the next Pune Mayor. The State Election Commission is expected to announce the formal schedule for the mayoral election soon. Before that, a draw of lots will decide the reservation category for the mayor’s post – whether it will be reserved for a woman or a man, and under which social category.

Once the reservation is declared, the BJP will take a final call on its candidate. However, several names are already doing the rounds within political circles.
Names in the Mayor Race
Among the frontrunners being discussed are:
– Ganesh Bidkar
– Rajendra Shilimkar
– Dheeraj Ghate

Ganesh Bidkar’s name has been widely publicised, with banners and hoardings appearing in parts of the city even before the final results were declared. Rajendra Shilimkar is considered a close aide of former mayor and BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol, while Dhiraj Ghate, the BJP’s city president, has previously served as the Leader of the House in the PMC. His administrative experience has also strengthened his claim.

Key Ward Battles
In Ward 24 (Kasba Ganpati–Kamla Nehru Hospital–KEM Hospital area), the BJP fielded Ganesh Bidkar, Devendra Wadke, Kalpana Bahirat and Ujjwala Yadav, and swept the contest against candidates from the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), NCP (Ajit Pawar group), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress.

In Ward 20 (Shankar Maharaj Math–Bibwewadi), BJP candidates Rajendra Shilimkar, Tanvi Divekar, Mansi Deshpande won while and Mahendra Sundechamuthha lost.

In Ward 27 (Navi Peth–Parvati), BJP leaders Dheeraj Ghate, Amar Awale, Smita Vaste and Lata Gaud emerged victorious, overcoming challenges from both NCP factions and the Congress.
All eyes are now on the reservation announcement for the mayor’s post and the BJP’s final decision on who will lead Pune as its next Mayor.