Pune: Shankar Jagtap Gets BJP Ticket for Chinchwad; Ashwini Jagtap Pledges Support; NCP Opposes, Ready to Rebel

Chinchwad, 21st October 2024: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Pimpri Chinchwad City President, Shankar Jagtap, who is also the brother of the late MLA Laxman Jagtap, has been nominated by the BJP in its first list of 99 candidates. Jagtap’s candidature was announced alongside other key leaders, including Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and Chandrakant Patil.

Although Shankar Jagtap has received the ticket, and the familial tensions between him and his sister-in-law, the sitting MLA of Chinchwad, Ashwini Jagtap, seem to have been resolved, there is still considerable disappointment within the Mahayuti, including in Jagtap’s party, the BJP. Some aspiring Mahayuti candidates have already announced that they will not campaign for Jagtap, hinting at possible rebellion within the party.

Since the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections, many candidates within the Mahayuti have set their sights on the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Elections, particularly the Chinchwad constituency. Earlier, it was anticipated that the Jagtap family might experience a rift, as there were reports of Ashwini Jagtap and Shankar Jagtap competing for the MLA ticket. However, Ashwini Jagtap later announced that if her brother-in-law received the ticket, she would campaign for him.

Despite this, Shankar Jagtap faced opposition from some former corporators within his party, including Shatrughna Kate and Chandrakant Nakhate. Additionally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Ajit Pawar, opposed the BJP retaining the Chinchwad seat. Key NCP leaders, including Vitthal Kate, Prashant Shitole, and Mayur Kalate, were vocal in their demand that NCP be given the chance to contest. They announced that they would not campaign if the BJP was granted the ticket, citing that one of their own deserved it. Nana Kate had previously contested the by-election when Ashwini Jagtap became MLA but lost. Another key leader, Bhausaheb Bhoir, has also left Mahayuti to contest the elections and has decided to run as an independent candidate.

Regarding his candidature, Shankar Jagtap said, “As per our organizational structure, some of us were aspiring to contest, but our parliamentary board’s decision is accepted by everyone. In the by-elections, when our vaini got the ticket, we all campaigned for her. Even this time, those who were aspiring will support, no matter what.”

Sitting MLA of Chinchwad, Ashwini Jagtap emphasized that there was never any controversy or rift within the family. She also stated that she had committed to supporting whoever received the ticket from Mahayuti. “I am thankful to Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrashekhar Bawankule for once again trusting our Jagtap family with Chinchwad,” she said.

Rebellion Brewing Before Diwali, Says Ajit Pawar’s NCP

Citing Ajit Pawar’s reversal of his words, the NCP is heading for a rebellion over the announcement of Shankar Jagtap’s candidature. A meeting of key city leaders was held yesterday, during which they collectively declared, “No matter what, we will not campaign for BJP. We will only campaign if one of us is given the chance to contest.” The leaders also hinted at a possible rebellion within the alliance before Diwali begins.

Regarding NCP’s stance in Chinchwad, Vitthal Kate said, “All the current and former corporators, as well as office bearers of NCP from Chinchwad constituency, are united. Even today, we stand as one. We will work for whichever one of us stands as a candidate. Ajit Pawar asked us to stay in touch with the voters, and we continued our work accordingly. But now, with the BJP candidate announced, the promise given to us has been broken. Our position is firm—we will field one of our candidates, and we will stand firmly behind him.”