A total of 165 corporators will be elected from 41 wards in the PMC election. Several wards feature heavyweight clashes. For instance, senior politician and former deputy mayor Aba Bagul, contesting on a Shiv Sena ticket, is up against BJP’s Mahesh Wable in Sahakarnagar. Bagul, a PMC veteran for three decades, now faces a stiff challenge from BJP. Similarly, BJP’s Reshma Bhosale is locked in a straight fight with NCP’s Datta Bahirat in Model Colony-Wakdewadi.In Balajinagar-Katraj, former corporators Vasant More and Prakash Kadam are battling head-to-head, while in Bavdhan, BJP’s former corporator takes on NCP’s Shankar Kemse. Another high-profile contest involves NCP SP’s former city unit head Prashant Jagtap, now with Congress, against BJP’s Abhijit Shivarkar, also a former corporator.Close fights are expected in Sus-Baner-Pashan, Ravivar Peth-Nana Peth, and Kasba Ganapati-Kamla Nehru Hospital wards due to heavyweight candidates. In Sus-Baner-Pashan, ex-corporator Amol Balwadkar, who switched to NCP at the last moment, faces BJP and an NCP rebel, Pramod Nimhan, contesting independently. In Kasba Ganapati-Kamla Nehru Hospital, BJP’s Ganesh Bidkar is up against Pranav Dhangekar, son of former MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, who defeated Bidkar in previous polls. In Kothrud, former corporator Prithviraj Sutar faces ex-MNS leader Kishor Shinde.A senior BJP member said, “Municipal polls often see fierce contests due to smaller voter bases and candidates’ direct connect with citizens. In multi-cornered fights, winning margins are likely to remain narrow.”
