Pune: Ahead of PMC Polls, Former NCP-SP Pune Chief Prashant Jagtap Joins Congress
Mumbai/Pune, 26th December 2025: With the Pune Municipal Corporation elections approaching, political equations in the city witnessed a significant shift on Friday as Prashant Jagtap, former Pune city president of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), formally joined the Indian National Congress, dealing a potential blow to the NCP-SP’s prospects in the civic polls scheduled for January 15.
Jagtap was inducted into the Congress at a function held at Tilak Bhavan in Dadar, in the presence of Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal and senior leaders Vijay Wadettiwar and Manikrao Thakare.
His decision comes days after he resigned from the NCP-SP, reportedly following differences over the party’s proposed electoral understanding with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction for the PMC elections. Political observers view his departure as a setback for the Sharad Pawar-led party in Pune, where Jagtap has been a prominent and influential local leader.
Sources said Jagtap was also approached by both factions of the Shiv Sena ahead of his decision. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde are learnt to have personally reached out, inviting him to join their respective parties. However, Jagtap declined the offers, stating that his ideological outlook aligned more closely with the Congress.
Congress Signals Independent PMC Strategy:
Meanwhile, the Congress has indicated that it may contest the PMC elections independently. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) vice president Mohan Joshi said the party is not keen on an alliance with the NCP-SP for the civic polls.
However, Joshi clarified that the Congress remains open to electoral understandings with what it termed ‘natural’ Maha Vikas Aghadi partners, including the Shiv Sena (UBT) and other like-minded political parties.
Jagtap’s Political Journey:
A seasoned figure in Pune politics, Jagtap had chosen to stay with Sharad Pawar following the split in the NCP, describing the veteran leader as a symbol of progressive politics. Over the past three years, he played a key role in organising protests and agitations in Pune against the ruling Mahayuti government. Jagtap has previously served as Mayor of Pune and was elected twice as a corporator on the NCP ticket. In the 2024 Assembly elections, he contested from Hadapsar as an NCP-SP candidate but was defeated by Chetan Tupe of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
With major leaders switching sides and alliance talks still fluid, Pune’s civic election battle is shaping up to be increasingly competitive and politically charged.
