Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates have been elected unopposed from the Suncity-Manikbaug ward of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), giving the party an early boost ahead of the civic polls scheduled for 15 January. Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap secured their seats after opponents withdrew their nominations on the final day for withdrawal.
BJP wins unopposed in Pune
Manjusha Nagpure, a former corporator who served in the ward during the 2017–22 term, will return for a third consecutive stint after three rivals withdrew and two nominations were rejected during scrutiny. Nagpure was contesting the open category seat for women, which initially attracted six nominations.
ShriKant Jagtap was also declared elected unopposed in the general category after his opponent, Nitin Gaikwad, withdrew his candidacy on the last day permitted. The Suncity-Manikbaug ward elects four corporators in total, including two women’s seats; one is reserved for a woman from the general category and one for a woman from the OBC category.
Union Minister and Pune Member of Parliament Murlidhar Mohol welcomed the unopposed victories, saying they reflect the public’s support for the BJP and its governance. He predicted that the next mayor would be from the BJP and described the two uncontested wins as a sign of momentum for the party.
City BJP chief Dheeraj Ghate echoed those remarks, saying the results will energise party workers as they campaign for the remaining seats. The BJP’s state chief Ravindra Chavan is due to officially launch the party’s election campaign on Saturday.
While Nagpure and Jagtap were returned to office without a contest, two other BJP candidates in the same ward, Sachin More and Jyoti Gosavi, will continue to campaign for their respective seats. Polling for the PMC is set for 15 January, with results to be announced on 16 January. In total, 165 corporators will be elected from 41 wards; 40 wards will elect four corporators each while one ward will elect five, as per state government rulings.
The background to Nagpure’s campaign attracted attention. Her husband, Deepak Nagpure, who serves as the city BJP general secretary, made strong remarks after her nomination, citing concerns over social issues and pledging to address local grievances if elected. Such statements underline the often localised, identity-oriented nature of municipal campaigning in Pune.
Local observers say uncontested victories can signal strong organisational strength and voter consolidation for a party, but they also note that the wider contest across Pune will determine whether this momentum translates into broader gains. The two unopposed wins reduce the number of contested seats by a small margin but may carry psychological weight for workers and voters ahead of the polling date.
As campaigning intensifies across the city, parties will focus on ward-level issues, candidate profiles and turnout strategy. With the PMC controlling key urban services and local governance, the results will shape Pune’s civic direction for the next five years.
Key Takeaways:
- BJP candidates Manjusha Nagpure and Shrikant Jagtap were elected unopposed from Suncity-Manikbaug ward.
- BJP wins signal momentum ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation polls on 15 January.
- Two other BJP nominees will continue campaigning for the remaining seats.
- Local party leaders hailed the unopposed victories as proof of strong support for the BJP.
