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Pune Civic Polls: BJP, Shiv Sena Split Over Seat-Sharing, To Contest Separately

The BJP and Shiv Sena will contest the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation elections separately after failing to reach a consensus on seat-sharing. Shiv Sena senior leader Neelam Gorhe strongly criticized the BJP's offer of only 16 seats, calling it insulting, especially as the party had requested 25. Despite the split, Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol stated the contest would remain "friendly." The elections are set for January 15, with results to be declared the following day.

Key Points: BJP, Shiv Sena to Contest Pune Polls Separately After Seat Dispute

  • Seat-sharing dispute in Pune
  • BJP offered 16 of 165 seats
  • Shiv Sena demanded 25 seats
  • Elections scheduled for January 15
2 min read

Pune Municipal polls: BJP, Shiv Sena to contest separately over seat-sharing dispute

BJP and Shiv Sena will fight Pune Municipal Corporation polls independently after failing to agree on seat-sharing. Shiv Sena calls BJP's offer "insulting."

"It is very insulting and condescending for Shiv Sena to take the seats where our eminent workers were denied an opportunity. - Neelam Gorhe, Shiv Sena"

Pune, January 3

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena will contest the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation elections separately following differences over seat-sharing, leaders from both parties said.

Union Minister of State (MoS) Murlidhar Mohol said on Friday that while the two parties would fight the civic polls independently, the contest would remain cordial.

"BJP and Shiv Sena will contest the Pune Municipal Corporation elections separately, as consensus could not be reached on some seats. Therefore, both parties have decided to fight the polls independently. However, this will be a friendly contest," Mohol said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena senior leader Neelam Gorhe expressed strong dissatisfaction over the seat-sharing formula offered by the BJP.

"It was announced by the party high command in coordination with Devendra Fadnavis that we will go ahead with the Mahayuti. However, we have requested only 25 of the 165 seats. Irrespective of that, we were offered only 15 seats, among which 7 were not even mentioned by us. It is very insulting and condescending for Shiv Sena to take the seats where our eminent workers were denied an opportunity," Gorhe said.

"We sent a priority list to the BJP local unit and our high command. After repeated discussions between the 2 parties at the state and central levels, the local unit was firm that it would not give any seats to the Shiv Sena. Although we did not secure a single seat in the Assembly, we put in a lot of effort and hard work. A critical mass of women voters is shifting towards Shiv Sena, and keeping this in mind, we will be taking this campaign forward," Gorhe said.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the BJP would contest all 29 municipal corporations in the state in alliance with the Shiv Sena. However, for the Pune civic body, the BJP offered 16 of the 165 seats to the Shiv Sena, which the party's local unit rejected.

The elections to the Pune Municipal Corporation are scheduled to be held on January 15, while counting of votes and declaration of results will take place on January 16.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Shreya B
Shiv Sena asking for 25 out of 165 seems reasonable, no? BJP offering 15, and that too with 7 unwanted seats, does feel disrespectful. Gorhe's point about women voters is interesting. Maybe this split will make both parties work harder for our votes! 🤔
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Aman W
"Friendly contest" they say. Wait for the campaigning to start, it will be anything but friendly. Local BJP unit seems too arrogant. As a Punekar, I just want someone to fix the roads and the traffic. Don't care about the party symbol.
P
Priyanka N
The state leadership says one thing, the local unit does another. This lack of coordination within BJP itself is the problem. How can they govern the city if they can't manage their own alliance? Disappointing for sure.
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David E
Watching from abroad. This is pure political calculus. BJP thinks it can sweep Pune alone after its national performance. Shiv Sena is trying to assert its regional identity. The voter is just a number in this seat-sharing game. Hope Pune chooses well.
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Karthik V
Good! More competition is better for democracy. When they fight separately, they have to present better candidates and clearer manifestos. Maybe now we'll get less talk about alliances and more talk about Pune's water supply and waste management. 🙏

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