CM Devendra Fadnavis Steps Up Pune Visits As BJP Seeks Full Control Of City

Pune: In recent days, it can be said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is more active than ever, as he is making regular visits and holding key meetings with the city BJP from time to time. Pune district, traditionally a bastion of the Pawar family from Baramati, saw a change in 2017, when two key municipal elections of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad were won by the BJP. However, both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) still hold power in Pune, and to bring an end to this dominance, political experts say that the BJP is making moves.

Pune & NCP's Relationship Over The Years

Pune was once a Congress bastion, but Sharad Pawar’s 1999 breakaway transformed it into an NCP heartland. Although the BJP and Congress both had their fair share of power in Pune, since the NCP's formation, it has held dominance in the city. The NCP was founded in 1999 by former Maharashtra CM and veteran leader Sharad Pawar and grew into one of Maharashtra’s most prominent parties. Its presence was especially strong in western Maharashtra, including Pune district.

For many years, the NCP held power in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Pune district has always been considered a stronghold for Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, and other key leaders, with the NCP winning multiple parliamentary and assembly seats in the region over the past two decades. Rural areas including Junnar, Shirur, Maval, Baramati, and Mulshi have seen NCP dominance too, in the form of parliamentary, legislative, and civic elections, with key elected officials in the past from the party. Ajit Pawar has been the longest-serving Pune Guardian Minister, reflecting the NCP’s local strength.

BJP Turns The Tide In 2017

After decades of NCP dominance in Pune, in the 2017 elections, the BJP managed to turn the tide in both the PMC and PCMC elections. In the PMC, the BJP won 98 of 162 seats (up from 26 in 2012). The Pawar-led NCP collapsed from 51 to only 38 seats. In the PCMC, the BJP took 77 of 128 seats, wiping out Ajit Pawar’s 10-year NCP rule (the NCP fell from 83 to 36 seats).

The BJP also managed to get key ex-NCP leaders, including the late MLA Laxman Jagtap, MLA Mahesh Landge, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kakade, which helped them turn the tide in both PMC and PCMC elections. With existing leaders like Girish Bapat and Murlidhar Mohol, the BJP managed to gain power dominantly in the 2017 elections and also secured MLAs in the 2024 elections.

However, the NCP's dominance still exists in part, as they won the Pune Zilla Parishad elections in 2017 and hold many gram panchayats around Pune. After the NCP split in 2023, Ajit Pawar is still the Guardian Minister of Pune district.

Fadnavis Active In Pune

Fadnavis's visits to Pune have increased since last month. Initially, people thought it was the Maratha reservation agitation that was keeping Fadnavis away from Mumbai and in Pune, but even after it ended, Fadnavis continued to make regular visits. Recently, Fadnavis inaugurated various infrastructural projects in Shivajinagar, Sinhagad Road, JM Road, and other areas. He visited major Ganesh Mandals during Ganeshotsav. He spoke at a private event in COEP on 15th September.

In one widely reported instance, Fadnavis encountered severe potholes during his Pune tour on 23rd September and publicly complained to Pune’s Municipal Commissioner. People are questioning why these visits are happening when major leaders already exist in Pune, including Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil, and Maharashtra Minister of State Madhuri Misal.

Key BJP Leaders Active Too

Pune’s political landscape is now highly contested, as it is the second most important city in Maharashtra after Mumbai. Historically a Pawar family stronghold, the fort has been breached by the BJP in recent years. Fadnavis’s recent activities show he is aggressively consolidating that advance, wanting to fully take over Pune.

Along with Fadnavis, in the past month BJP National President JP Nadda, State President Ravindra Chavan, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, former Home Minister Anurag Thakur, and other key leaders from across the nation and state have paid visits to Pune. Along with that, a showcase of power was made at Pune's SP College on the occasion of the 75th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with grand celebrations.

Fadnavis Appoints Key Officials in Pune

The Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra Government has also placed senior bureaucrats in Pune’s administrative bodies, which comes across as an indirect way of asserting influence. Fadnavis himself, being the Home Minister, decides about police officials coming to Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Many of the senior officials have been transferred directly from Nagpur and are said to be in the good books of the CM. Also, many civic officials in PMRDA, PMC, and PCMC are reportedly the CM's favourites too.

It can be seen that despite Ajit Pawar being the Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister, Fadnavis is the one making decisions in Pune.

BJP's Recent Acquisitions

With Fadnavis making sure he visits Pune at least once a fortnight, he is also taking meetings with local leaders. With a network already set in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the BJP has acquired key people across the district in the last few months. In April 2025, ex-Congress MLA Sangram Thopate from the Bhor-Mulshi area joined the BJP. Ex-Congress MLA Sanjay Jagtap from Purandar joined the BJP. Former chairman of Pune Zilla Parishad Pravin Mane, who had been affiliated with Sharad Pawar, also joined the BJP in July.

Not only in Pune, but major ex-Congress leaders like Jayashri Patil, Prithviraj Patil, and Manoj Sargar from Sangli and others have joined the BJP too.

Why Is BJP Desperate For Their Hold In Pune?

Pune is today an internationally recognised city. With a historical reputation for educational institutes, Pune has expanded into the IT, industrial, and private sectors, providing jobs for youth across the country. Being a culturally rich city, it has always been the focal point of Maharashtra after Mumbai.

With the BJP aspiring for power in the state and centre, keeping a hold on Pune is as important as keeping a hold on other key cities in the country, experts note. That’s why the BJP wants to have complete dominance in the district.