With Another Major Leader on the Verge of Leaving, Is Ajit Pawar Losing Ground in Pimpri-Chinchwad?

Reported By Varad Bhatkhande

Pimpri Chinchwad, 11th September 2024: Ajit Pawar may face a setback on his home turf, Pimpri Chinchwad. Former MLA from Bhosari, Vilas Lande, is reportedly unhappy after not being allowed to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Shirur. Since then, Lande has been on the verge of leaving Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to join the Nationalist Congress Sharadchandra Pawar Party (NCP-SP).

Yesterday, Lande met Sharad Pawar at his Modibaug residence in Shivajinagar, sparking widespread speculation that Lande might soon switch sides.

Although Lande has been an MLA multiple times, he was defeated twice consecutively, in 2014 and 2019, by the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Mahesh Landge in Bhosari. When the NCP split in 2023, Lande chose to side with Ajit Pawar, hoping for a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Shirur. He was also flexible, stating that if he didn’t get the ticket, at least no candidate should be imported, and that Mahesh Landge should be given a ticket. Lande hoped this would give him a chance to contest for the MLA position in Bhosari.

However, things didn’t go as expected when Ajit Pawar decided to field Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, who had joined NCP from Shiv Sena, in a bid to defeat incumbent MLA from NCP-SP, Dr Amol Kolhe. This reportedly disappointed Lande, as the Mahayuti’s policy stipulates that the party with an MLA in a particular constituency will be given that constituency to contest. This makes it unlikely that Lande will contest even the Legislative Assembly elections from Mahayuti, as BJP holds the Bhosari constituency.

Ajit Pawar’s close aide, Ajit Gavhane, along with nearly 20 key political leaders, had switched to the NCP-SP in July, reportedly securing the Bhosari constituency to contest in the upcoming elections. Gavhane mentioned that their decision was made under Lande’s guidance and that Lande supported them. However, Lande played it safe, attending a meeting with Ajit Pawar the very next day.

When there was uncertainty about Lande’s position, he visited the venue of the Sharad Pawar group’s Shiv Swarajya Yatra but did not attend the meeting. His wife, former mayor Mohini Lande, was present at the event. Since then, speculation has grown about Lande joining the NCP-SP. Sources revealed that Lande met NCP-SP’s Maharashtra State president Jayant Patil on Monday and Sharad Pawar on Tuesday in Pune.

When contacted, Lande refused to comment but did not deny the meeting.