Pune: Civic elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have turned into a family contest in several wards, with political parties fielding local strongmen and their spouses, effectively turning campaigns into joint efforts aimed at securing each other’s victory. At least six husband-wife pairs are contesting the civic polls across party lines.The couples represent the same parties under different reservation categories and work together to secure victory for each other by campaigning jointly and sharing responsibilities. Of these, four couples are in the fray from the same wards, while two are contesting from neighbouring wards.Two couples belong to the NCP, two to the BJP, and one each to the MNS and the Congress. For the four couples contesting from the same ward, campaigning often begins together in the neighbourhoods, with spouses spending a significant part of the day canvassing jointly.The trend is largely seen as driven by the difficulty in identifying women candidates with a strong local base, prompting parties to field spouses of senior functionaries. In several wards, influential local leaders are contesting while their wives are nominated from women-reserved seats in the same ward, a move that helps parties retain their grip over the area.Except Nana alias Vitthal Kate of NCP, all others are in the fray as couples for the first time. Kate and his wife, Sheetal, were elected from ward 28 in Pimpri Chinchwad in 2017 and are now in the fray again from the same ward.Avinash Bagve and his wife, Indira, are contesting the civic elections on the Congress ticket from ward 22. While Avinash is a former corporator, Indira is making her electoral debut.“When we campaign together in the ward, the response and warmth shown by residents makes us feel encouraged,” Indira said. “Although I am contesting an election for the first time, I was ideologically aligned with the Congress for nearly 18 years and supported the party through various initiatives, including membership drives,” she said, adding that her husband’s local connect due to his long political career helped her adjust to the challenges.Bagwe said that with both of them away from home for campaigning, they are unable to spend enough time with their children. “My son is in Std XII and my daughter is in Std X. Both are preparing for their board examinations under the CICSE syllabus. We are not able to give them as much attention as we would like to, but we manage,” he added.They have divided coordination responsibilities. “Even though we reach out to voters together, our visits and related work is divided between us,” Bagwe said.NCP’s Moreshwar Bhondave and his wife, Jayashree, are also contesting the civic poll from ward 16 in Pimpri Chinchwad. While Moreshwar is a former corporator, Jayashree is making her electoral debut.“We begin our campaign together at 10am every day, and since both of us are contesting from the same ward, it is easier to reach a larger number of voters and seek support,” Moreshwar said.head: In the fray, together NCP I Vitthal alias Nana Kate and his wife, Sheetal I Ward 16 PCMCNCP I Moreshwar Bonhdave and his wife, Jayashree I Ward 16 PCMCMNS I Sachin Chikhale and his wife, Ashwini I Ward 13 PCMCCongress I Avinash Bagwe and his wife, Indira I Ward 22 PMCBJP I Sanjay Bhosale is contesting from ward 6 in PMC, and his wife, Ashwini, from ward 13BJP I Surendra Pathare is contesting from ward 4 of PMC, and his wife, Aishwarya, from ward 3Except for Surendra Pathare, all five male candidates were elected to municipal corporation in 2017
