Shiv Sena Seeks Three Pune Assembly Seats in State Elections

As Maharashtra prepares for the upcoming state elections, the Shiv Sena, led by Eknath Shinde, has made a strategic move by claiming three of Pune’s eight assembly seats. Despite not currently having any sitting MLAs in Pune city, Shiv Sena’s Pune city president, Pramod Bhangire, emphasized the party’s growing organizational presence in the area.

Bhangire refuted ongoing media reports suggesting that the Shiv Sena lacked influence in Pune’s electoral landscape. “These reports are false. We have a legitimate claim to at least three seats in Pune city,” Bhangire stated in a firm response. The party has identified the Hadapsar, Wadgaon Sheri, and Khadakwasla constituencies as its targets, with Bhangire himself expressing interest in contesting from Hadapsar.

Historically, Shiv Sena maintained a presence in Pune, with two MLAs representing the city in 2009, specifically in Kothrud and Hadapsar. However, the party’s influence in Pune has waned following a significant split. The upcoming elections are essential for Shiv Sena to reassert its influence in the city.

Currently, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dominates the Pune political scene, holding five of the city’s eight seats. These are Parvati, with Madhuri Misal; Kothrud, represented by Chandrakant Patil; Shivajinagar, by Siddharth Shirole; Pune Cantonment, by Sunil Kamble; and Khadakwasla, represented by Bhimarao Tapkir. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar, controls two seats: Wadgaon Sheri, represented by Sunil Tingre, and Hadapsar, represented by Chetan Tupe. The Congress party holds the remaining seat in Kasba, with MLA Ravindra Dhangekar.

In light of ongoing seat-sharing negotiations among Mahayuti coalition partners – the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP – for the Maharashtra elections, Shiv Sena’s Pune unit remains hopeful. “As Mahayuti constituents are finalizing the seat-sharing formula, we have urged Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to consider our demand for three seats in Pune city,” Bhangire noted. The upcoming elections pose a pivotal moment for Shiv Sena to regain its foothold, especially in previously held areas such as Hadapsar.

The internal dynamics of these negotiations hold considerable importance, especially since the Shiv Sena’s split in 2022 after Eknath Shinde’s rebellion against former party chief Uddhav Thackeray, which eventually led to Shinde aligning with the BJP to become Chief Minister.