Battle lines are drawn for Pune civic polls

As many as 1,190 aspirants will contest the municipal polls from 152 wards when the city goes to polls on February 16.

PMC’s election officer Pravin Ashtikar said with 36 candidates in the fray, Sangamwadi panel has the maximum number of aspirants. On the other hand, Doke Talim-Ramoshi Gate panel has a minimum of only seven candidates in the fray.

Sangamwadi regional ward office, which deals with 12 wards, is the ward office having the largest number of 162 candidates in the fray under its jurisdiction. Warje regional ward office, comprising 10 wards, will have the smallest number of 67 candidates.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) declared its second final list of candidates on Friday night. NCP snatched former mayor Rajani Tribhuvan from Congress and sitting corporator Leena Pansare from Sena by offering them official candidature from the NCP camp. Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal and former mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale will contest the elections.

Suman Balasaheb Pathare, a sitting corporator and sister-in-law of member of lower assembly, Bapu Pathare, and Reshma, wife of MLC Anil Bhosale, will contest from Vadgaon Sheri and College of Agriculture panel respectively.

The other sitting corporators who made it in the NCP’s list of candidates are Suresh Baburao Shevale, Baburao Chandere, Avinash Salve, Bapurao Karne, Uday Mahale, Vikas Dangat and Vishal Tambe.

The Congress fielded its leader in PMC Aba Bagul, sitting corporator Deepak Mankar and Sunil Gaikwad, former mayor Dattatray Gaikwad’s wife Geeta and sitting corporator Chandbi Nadaf’s husband Hazi Nadaf.

The Sena is contesting for 63 seats of which 13 have been allotted to sitting corporators Shyam Deshpande, Yogesh Mokate, Prithviraj Sutar, Prashant Badhe and Vijay Maratkar. The BJP also banks on sitting corporators Balasaheb Amrale, Mukta Tilak, Mahesh Ladkat and Digambar Davri.