BJP Faces Resentment from Long-Time Workers Over Pune Civic Poll Tickets
Pune, 18th December 2025: With the Pune Municipal Corporation elections expected in January 2026, grassroots workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have urged the party leadership to prioritise long-serving and loyal workers while finalising candidates.
The BJP has set an ambitious target of winning 120 seats to retain control of the civic body. However, the party’s recent move to induct 20 to 25 former corporators from rival parties ahead of the elections has sparked discontent among long-time BJP workers, who fear being sidelined despite years of service to the organisation.
According to party sources, around 2,500 aspirants have applied for tickets. After interviews, the BJP’s core committee shortlisted three to five candidates per ward and forwarded the names to the state committee for final selection based on internal surveys. Party workers allege that candidates from outside the organisation could again be preferred, similar to what they claim happened during the 2017 civic elections.
Several party workers have taken to social media, describing municipal elections as “workers’ elections” and demanding respect, fairness and due representation for loyal cadres who have remained with the party through both victories and setbacks.
Reacting to the concerns, BJP Pune city president Dheeraj Ghate said the demand for giving priority to grassroots workers has been conveyed to senior leaders. “We are making efforts to ensure maximum representation for party workers, but it is not possible to accommodate everyone,” he said.
