The tally of Congress corporators in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has dipped to 21 from 41 in 2007.

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Notwithstanding the rise in the total number of seats in the house to 152 from 144, this decrease is being viewed as an indicator of the party paying for the sins of tainted MP Suresh Kalmadi.

Kalmadi ruled the PMC with absolute majority for over two decades. However, he started losing his grip since 2005 owing to absence of basic amenities. Taking advantage of this, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) started making inroads in the city.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who had once been a friend of Kalmadi, had campaigned in Pune during 2007 elections asking for a change of guard for betterment of the city.

Responding to Pawar’s appeals, the city voted for the NCP to make it the largest party in the PMC with 42 seats in 2007. The NCP then forged an alliance with the Congress to come into power.

However, the Congress image in the city suffered a major blow when Kalmadi was arrested in the Commonwealth Games scam. The Congress then suspended Kalmadi in a face-saving exercise. Though Kalmadi was lodged in Tihar Jail for nine months, the party failed to provide an alternative for him in Pune and his supporters dominated the party affairs.

What changed the scene drastically was Kalmadi’s release ahead of the civic polls. Subsequently, when the Congress came out with the list of its 151 candidates for the civic polls, more than 130 Kalmadi supporters were given tickets. Moreover, when Kalmadi was released, his supporters took out rallies, burst firecrackers and distributed sweets at the Congress House.

To top it all, when Kalmadi returned to Pune after his release, his supporters made a show of strength and received him at Lohegaon airport in a spectacular manner. This attracted severe criticism from all quarters.

A senior Congress leader said, “Kalmadi’s arrest, the celebrations over his release and the grand reception he was given when he returned to the city gave the impression that the party was turning a blind eye towards the charges against him. This came in the backdrop of the Anna Hazare movement and that has cost a lot to the party.’’