Family ties dominate PMC polls as parties field multiple relatives across wards | Pune News

If there are political families who want to keep their political clout alive by fielding at least one member of their family, there are few who are trying their luck by fielding not one but two members for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections. In Pune, there are husband-wife, father-son, mother-son and sister-in-laws trying to keep the legacy of their family in politics alive. In fact, no party has refrained from fielding at least two family members for the civic elections.

For the 165 seats of the Pune civic body, the battle is tough, considering the elections are taking place after almost nine years due to a delay caused by legal issues on reservation of seats.

Among the husband-wife duo, the Congress has fielded former corporator Avinash Bagwe and his wife Indira Bagwe from Kashewadi-Dias Plot ward. The Bagwes have a political ground with Ramesh Bagwe, father of Avinash, who was a corporator and also a minister.

The BJP has also given party tickets to two members of the same family to contest the PMC election. It has fielded Surendra Pathare from Kharadi-Wagholi ward and his wife Aishwarya Pathare from Vimannagar-Lohegaon ward. Surendra is the son of sitting NCP(SP) legislator Bapusaheb Pathare from Vadgaonsheri.

The BJP has also fielded a couple—Sanjay Bhosale from Yerawada-Gandhinagar ward and his wife Ashwini Bhosale from Pune station-Jay Jawannagar ward. Bhosale is a former Shiv Sena corporator who switched sides days ahead of the civic polls.

“The BJP has fielded candidates by only taking their winning ability into account. The party normally does not field more than one candidate from one family but there were exceptions as both candidates are strong,” said a BJP leader. Incidentally, both the couples have been inducted into the BJP ahead of the civic polls.

There are three mother-son duos contesting the elections to the Pune civic body. Former mayor Prashant Jagtap and his mother Ratnaprabha Jagtap are contesting as Congress candidates from Wanowrie-Salunkhe Vihar ward. The two have together made it to the civic body in the past as well.

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The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has fielded Nilesh Girme and his mother Radhika Girme from Narhe-VadgaonBudhruk-Dhayari ward. It has also given candidature to Pratibha Dhangekar, wife of former legislator Ravindra Dhangekar, from Raviwar Peth-Nana Peth ward and her son Pranav Dhangekar from Kasba Ganpati-Kamla Nehru hospital ward.

A father-son duo fielded by the Shiv Sena is also in the electoral contest with former corporator Vasant More being fielded from Balajinagar-Ambegaon-Katraj ward while his son Rupesh More has been fielded from Kondhwa Budhruk-Yeolewadi ward.

A pair of stepbrothers is also trying their luck for the first time in elections. Harshwardhan Mankar is contesting as NCP candidate from Rambaug Colony-Shivteerthnagar ward while his step brother Raghvendra Mankar is a BJP candidate from Shaniwar Peth-Mahatma Phule Mandai ward. The two are sons of former corporator and NCP leader Deepak Mankar.

The NCP has also fielded sister-in-laws in the PMC polls. Former corporator Priya Gadade is contesting from Janta Vasahat-Hingane Khurd ward while Akshada Gadade, wife of her brother Premraj, is contesting from Navi Peth-Parvati ward. “There were many such combinations from a family who sought party candidature to contest the PMC elections but only those who were the strongest were given party tickets,” said an NCP leader.

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Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability.

Professional Background

 Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens.

Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College.

Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts.

Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development.

Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)

His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city’s infrastructure boom:

1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026)

“Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC” (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections.

“Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP” (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections.

“Ajit Pawar’s NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies” (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls.

2. Infrastructure & Urban Development

“Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route” (Dec 22, 2025): An “outlook” piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026.

“Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River” (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi. 

“Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari” (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state’s most critical transport corridors.

3. Civic Governance & Environment

“Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders” (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the “Breathless Pune” series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time.

“Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters” (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections.

Signature Style

Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the “ground zero” reality of Pune’s residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a “Bharat Mandapam” style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact.

X (Twitter): @ajay_khape … Read More

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