Pune: BJP Signals Solo Fight in PMC Polls; Mahayuti Partners Shiv Sena, NCP Prepare Separate Strategies

Pune, 20th November 2025: As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensifies internal meetings ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, the party’s move to distance itself from Mahayuti partners has triggered unease within the alliance. The Shiv Sena and the NCP (Ajit Pawar), both part of the ruling coalition, are now preparing to contest the polls separately.

With preparations for the long-delayed PMC elections entering their final stage — the polls are likely to be held in January 2026 — the BJP appears firmly inclined toward a solo contest. The party has strengthened its organisational network in recent years, especially after five former corporators from the Shiv Sena (UBT) joined its ranks. In the 2017 civic polls, the BJP secured 98 seats, emerging as the single largest party.

Local BJP leaders, citing a high number of aspirants in almost every ward, have expressed a clear preference for going solo. Senior leadership has allowed alliance decisions to be taken at the local level, further signalling the party’s openness to fighting independently. With the BJP not initiating seat-sharing talks, uncertainty has deepened within the Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena city chief Nana Bhangire said the party is prepared to contest within the Mahayuti framework, but the final call will come from the top leadership. “If the alliance materialises, we expect 40–45 seats. If not, we have asked aspirants in all 41 wards to prepare for a solo contest. However, we still hope for an alliance with the BJP in Pune,” he said.

The NCP (Ajit Pawar) too has begun activating its independent poll machinery. The party, which won 42 seats in 2017, had demanded 11 favourable wards during the delimitation process but received no response from the BJP, leading to rising dissatisfaction. Amid this, some NCP workers have pushed for a merger of both factions, while city leaders Sunil Tingre and Subhash Jagtap have indicated openness to an alliance with “like-minded parties.”

They clarified that the final decision will rest with Ajit Pawar.

With all three Mahayuti constituents now preparing for separate campaigns, Pune’s civic election landscape is heading towards an unusual triangular contest.