NCP steams ahead
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, whose clout till now was restricted to Baramati and Pimpri-Chinchwad, has made his intention of getting a clear hold over Pune.
He will play the central role and as such has shunned any alliances. At a recent meeting with his satraps in the city following the release of the party's manifesto, he sought a list of 'winnable' candidates. "I will personally select the candidates. We don't want to impose any alliance on our partymen in Pune. We cannot have an alliance with those (Congress leaders) who are targeting us even before the election was announced," Pawar said. While other parties are still gearing up to face the polls, the NCP has put out its manifesto and begun screening candidates. "The capacity to win elections is the only criteria for selection. We want total majority in Pune as in the last five years, we had to make several adjustments with other parties to get proposals approved in the PMC. In PCMC, where we have a full majority, development is happening. We could not fulfill all the promises because we lacked majority," Pawar said.
But there are undercurrents with the second rung leadership bitterly divided. "Some leaders want the upper hand in the nomination process so that they have the right to select candidates for their locality. These leaders have assured Ajitdada that they will ensure victory of these candidates. However, other leaders in the party are not willing to give away this right and want the party to appoint a selection committee under Ajit Pawar's leadership," an NCP leader said.
Warring factions of MLC Anil Bhosale and city unit chief Vandana Chavan accept Pawar's orders. A meeting to launch the official campaign for the election has been convened on Saturday.
Congress flounders
The city Congress unit appears confounded with Ajit Pawar's aggressive start ahead of the polls. For the last two days, its leaders have been in Mumbai to discuss poll strategy and a possible alliance with the NCP. Leaders of both parties have planned rounds of talks over an alliance. However, Pawar on Tuesday, announced that the NCP will go alone in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.
"Since Pawar has decided to shun the city Congress, we will have to lock horns with them in Pune. There is a major leadership crisis in the absence of MP Suresh Kalmadi. But we have to start preparations," a Congress leader who attended a meeting in Mumbai said.
Hope floats about Kalmadi getting bail before the election and playing a major role in the election. "Even if the party does not withdraw his suspension, Kalmadi has the power to turn the tide as he wields immense power over most Congress corporators in Pune," said a supporter.
In the absence of the 66-year-old MP,who has been in Tihar jail since April in connection with the multi-crore Commonwealth Games scam, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee has appointed a coordination panel to face the polls.However,the committee is powerless and there is infighting.
The NCP is keeping close watch on developments in the Congress.In 2007 Congressmen pushed for a postelection alliance with the NCP, but Kalmadi was unwilling to let go of the mayor's post. Pawar then forged the Pune Pattern in which the NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena joined hands to keep the Congress out, bringing to an end its 15-year hold over the civic body.
"He (Kalmadi) was adamant in 2007 and did not pay heed to leaders like Vilasrao Deshmukh and Balasaheb Shivarkar who wanted an alliance with the NCP. He is in Tihar now. Let us see what happens," Pawar said when asked about a post-election alliance with the Congress.
Bitter struggle within BJP
The BJP in the city is in a shambles, thanks to infighting within the factions. BJP city unit chief and Nitin Gadkari faction leader Vikas Mathkari announced that poll aspirants should take nomination forms from party office last month. However, Gopinath Munde's supporters did not respond and no Munde supporter including sitting corporators followed Mathkari's order.
They have not recognized other attempts by Mathkari to put the house in order like announcing the party's executive body. Mathkari and his supporters want a dominant role in the election process, but the Munde faction refuses to accept Mathkari as the city president.
"The state president has appointed a coordination committee which will decide on the city's executive body. This committee will also take decisions on the election," MLA Madhuri Misal, who heads the Munde faction in the city, said. However, Mathkari said, "I have appointed the executive body and we have started work. It is my right as city president to appoint the executive body."
As the war for dominance intensifies,party workers are in tizzy. "In 2007, the Congress was in difficulty because of bad roads and BRTS. BJP had a chance to win the elections, but both factions ensured the defeat of each other's candidates and ultimately the party lost. Leaders are not bothered about the party." said a BJP worker. Mathkari continues to put on a brave face. "We are confident about winning the elections as the Congress and NCP have failed in Pune," he said.
Tussle between Sena, MNS
In the 2007 polls, Shiv Sena maintained its numbers despite Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) breaching the saffron votebank. It won 20 seats while MNS bagged eight seats.
Political pundits expected that the Sena's numbers will dwindle with MNS in the poll fray, but it managed to keep its flock together. But the 2012 election may be another prospect with Raj Thackeray deciding to concentrate on Pune along with Mumbai civic elections.
The MNS is an established party with experience in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections. MNS Lok Sabha candidate Ranjit Shirole polled 75,928 votes in 2009 elections and the party increased its vote share in the city during the assembly polls. Of the eight assembly seats at stake, the Congress, the BJP and the Shiv Sena got two each, the NCP had to remain content with one seat and the MNS made its debut by winning the Khadakwasla seat. The MNS' increasing base is a worry for Shiv Sena. "We are planning a strategy to tackle MNS attempt to breach our vote bank. Shiv Sena executive chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray will campaign for the party candidates in Pune," said a Sena leader. The MNS campaign will be shouldered by Raj Thackeray. "We will double our numbers in the PMC and also play an important role in power equation. Wait and watch," MNS leader in Pune Ravindra Dhangekar said.
CASTE CAULDRON
Last December, corporators from the BJP and Shiv Sena smashed chairs, overturned tables and pulled out microphones during a general body meeting of the PMC protesting against the shifting of Dadoji Konddeo's statue from Lal Mahal to Pu La Deshpande garden.
This issue may be on the priority list of the BJP's agenda to attract its traditional Brahmin votebank while the NCP is planning to rope in Maratha organizations to combat BJP's campaign ll Konddeo's statue was part of the sculpture at Lal Mahal depicting a young Shivaji, along with his mother Jijamata, tilling the soil of Pune with a golden plough. Konddeo, according to some historians, guided Shivaji during his childhood. However, others maintain that he was not Shivaji's teacher.
A recent meeting of NCP leaders concluded that pictures of BJP city unit chief Vikas Mathkari climbing on mayor Mohansingh Rajpal's table and breaking its glass top and Shiv Sena leader Sham Deshpande, and other corporators pushing the mayor be used during campaigning.