BJP Picks Hindutva Leader Manjusha Nagpure for Pune Mayor’s Post, RPI Gets Deputy Mayor
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 3rd February 2026: After keeping the suspense alive for nearly two weeks, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday announced its candidate for the Pune Mayor’s post just minutes before nomination filing began. The party has chosen Manjusha Nagpure, known for her strong Hindutva background, as its mayoral nominee. At the same time, the Deputy Mayor’s post has been allotted to alliance partner Republican Party of India (RPI), with corporator Parshuram Wadekar set to become the new Deputy Mayor.
In the recently concluded Pune Municipal Corporation elections, the BJP secured a landslide victory, winning 119 of the 165 seats and returning to power with a clear majority for the second consecutive term. With such a dominant mandate, expectations among party corporators were high for key positions, especially the Mayor’s post. Since the mayoral seat was reserved for the General Women category, there was intense speculation over who the party would select.
From the beginning, Manjusha Nagpure’s name was in discussion, along with other aspirants such as Varsha Tapkir, Ranjana Tilekar, Mansi Deshpande, Swarada Bapat, Nivedita Ekbote, and Ujjwala Jangle. The party leadership was weighing whether to go with an experienced face or spring a surprise with a relatively new corporator. Several aspirants actively lobbied senior leaders to strengthen their claim.
On Monday, a meeting of the BJP’s core committee was held in Pune under the leadership of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan. After deliberations, the names of Manjusha Nagpure, Varsha Tapkir and Mansi Deshpande were finalised and sent to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the final decision. On Tuesday morning, Fadnavis approved Manjusha Nagpure’s name, and shortly thereafter she filed her nomination for the Mayor’s post.
Manjusha Nagpure holds an M.Com and MBA degree and earlier worked with a private company. She quit her job to enter active politics and contested her first corporator election in 2012, which she won. Since then, she has won three consecutive terms, and in the 2026 elections she was elected unopposed. Nagpure has been associated with the Rashtrasevika Samiti, the women’s wing inspired by the RSS, and has also worked actively with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Her husband, Deepak Nagpure, is a known Hindutva activist and has held key responsibilities in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. With backing from both the Sangh Parivar and BJP leadership, consensus emerged around her name.
As part of the Mahayuti alliance arrangement, the BJP has given the Deputy Mayor’s post to the Republican Party of India. RPI corporator Parshuram Wadekar will take over as Deputy Mayor. His wife, Sunita Wadekar, had earlier served as Deputy Mayor between 2020 and 2022. This makes the Wadekar couple the first in Pune’s history where both husband and wife have held the Deputy Mayor’s position.
Pune: भाजपकडून महापौर पदासाठी हिंदुत्वादी चेहऱ्याला पसंती, रिपाईला दिले उपमहापौर
Parshuram Wadekar has been associated with Ramdas Athawale’s RPI for over 25 years and contested the election from Aundh–Bopodi Ward No. 8. As per the seat-sharing arrangement within the Mahayuti, the Deputy Mayor’s post was allotted to RPI. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reportedly instructed Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil to ensure that the post goes to Wadekar, following which he filed his nomination.
With the mayoral and deputy mayoral candidates now finalised, the stage is set for the new leadership to take charge of Pune Municipal Corporation, with expectations of continuity in governance under the BJP-led administration.
