Jagdish Mulik, Deepak Mankar, And Now Ravindra Dhangekar

As the bypolls for the five seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council are set to be held later this month, the names for these seats are in the news.

For the seats, a tug-of-war has begun between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) to secure one of these seats in Pune.

BJP MLA and former city president Jagdish Mulik and NCP city president Deepak Mankar are both eyeing the seat. Political circles are abuzz with speculation about who will be the party’s final choice.

Jagdish Mulik

In the 2019 assembly polls, Jagdish Mulik, a former MLA, was defeated by NCP MLA Sunil Tingre. Later, Mulik was given the opportunity to serve as city president for BJP. He had expressed interest in contesting the Lok Sabha elections but was sidelined when former mayor Muralidhar Mohol was chosen instead. After Ajit Pawar’s faction aligned with the BJP, the Vadgaon Sheri assembly seat, which Mulik was contesting, was given to the Ajit Pawar group. Consequently, Mulik had to step back. During the 2024 polls, when he went to file his nomination, he was called by Devendra Fadnavis and promised a Legislative Council seat. Later, even Ajit Pawar, during his campaign for Sunil Tingre, had said that the constituency would get one MLA and one MLC.

Deepak Mankar

Meanwhile, Deepak Mankar, on the other hand, is seen as a close aide to Ajit Pawar. Following the NCP split, he immediately joined Ajit Pawar’s faction and was appointed as the city president. Mankar has been managing the party’s affairs in Pune and was seeking a chance to become an MLA or MLC. Despite losing in a previous assembly election, Mankar is now pushing for a Legislative Council seat. He is building a strong network with his supporters and believes that Ajit Pawar will give him this opportunity. Mankar’s supporters are planning to meet Pawar to formally make this demand.

At present, Pune city has eight Assembly seats, and with Dr. Neelam Gohe, the Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council, also an MLC, the total number of legislators in Pune Municipal Corporation limits will rise. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the Guardian Minister, is keen on securing this seat for his party. Given his focus on expanding the party’s influence in Pune, he is likely to push for this seat, but it remains uncertain who he will nominate. If a new candidate emerges from Ajit Pawar’s faction, it seems that Mankar may have to step back.

Ravindra Dhangekar and others

Meanwhile, the name of Ravindra Dhangekar, who is set to join the Shinde faction after quitting Congress, is also making the rounds for the seat.Additionally, names of BJP’s Dheeraj Ghate and Rajesh Pande are also in discussion.