Congress Infighting Surfaces in Pune As Controversial Posters in Wanowrie Target City in-Charge Satej Patil

Pune, 27th May 2026: Internal rifts within the city Congress unit have once again come to the fore, with factionalism now spilling onto the streets through provocative posters in the Wanowrie area.

Posters put up in Wanowrie carried sharp and indirect references targeting Pune Congress in-charge MLA Satej Patil. One of the messages read, “Our decision is made… a wrestler from Kolhapur came to Pune, lost in Kolhapur and flattened the party in Pune,” in an apparent dig at his leadership. Another contentious line on the posters stated, “Send the Kolhapur parcel back,” triggering political buzz in the city.

The posters, which allegedly reflect dissatisfaction within a section of Congress workers, have intensified speculation about growing divisions in the party’s city unit. The internal disagreement has resurfaced soon after recent organisational changes under the party’s “Sangathan Srujan Abhiyan”.

As part of the restructuring, Congress recently announced a dual-city president system for Pune, dividing the city into East and West units for the first time. Prashant Jagtap has been appointed as Pune City Congress president for the eastern region, while former MLA Deepti Chaudhary has been given charge of the western region. However, the decision is believed to have left a section of party workers unhappy, further deepening the divide between loyalists and new entrants.

Reacting strongly to the posters, newly appointed city president Prashant Jagtap said the banners appeared to have been put up by misusing the names of Congress workers. He said CCTV footage from the area would be reviewed and an official police complaint would be filed on Wednesday.