Shiv Sena Pushes for Three Key Pune Assembly Seats as Mahayuti Negotiations Continue Ahead of Elections
Pune, 10th October 2024: Amid seat-sharing negotiations within the Mahayuti alliance, Shiv Sena, led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has staked a claim for three of Pune’s eight Assembly constituencies ahead of the upcoming state elections. Despite not holding any current MLA positions in Pune, Shiv Sena’s city president, Pramod Bhangire, emphasized that the party has made substantial progress in terms of its organizational structure and cadre strength.
Bhangire addressed recent media reports, which suggested that Shiv Sena had no claim to any of the city’s seats, calling the claims baseless. He asserted that the party is aiming to secure at least three constituencies: Hadapsar, Vadgaon Sheri, and Khadakwasla. Bhangire, who has set his sights on the Hadapsar constituency, urged CM Eknath Shinde to prioritize Shiv Sena’s demand for these seats.
Historically, Shiv Sena had representation in Pune, with two MLAs in 2009—one from Kothrud and another from Hadapsar—before the party’s split. The upcoming elections are set to gauge Shiv Sena’s current standing in the city.
Presently, the BJP controls five of Pune’s Assembly seats: Parvati (Madhuri Misal), Kothrud (Chandrakant Patil), Shivajinagar (Siddharth Shirole), Pune Cantonment (Sunil Kamble), and Khadakwasla (Bhimarao Tapkir). The NCP holds two seats—Vadgaon Sheri (Sunil Tingre) and Hadapsar (Chetan Tupe)—with both MLAs aligned with Ajit Pawar. Congress maintains the Kasba seat, represented by Ravindra Dhangekar.
On Wednesday, media reports claimed that Shiv Sena had no standing in Pune’s Assembly constituencies, a claim which Pramod Bhangire promptly dismissed.
