Now that the reservation for the post of mayor in the Pune Municipal Corporation has been announced, the draw for the reservation for the Mayoral post will be held on Thursday. The Urban Development department has issued an official bulletin calling a special meeting to determine the reservation to the post of Mayor. During the last tenure, the Mayoral post was for the open category.
The names of candidates interested in the post of Mayor will be selected based on the reservation policy. According to the reservation, corporators from women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes or other backward class categories will get the opportunity to become Mayor. There is an active interest in which category will win the reservation, not just in Pune but also in Mumbai, Nagpur, Thane, and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The event will be held at the Council Hall on the sixth floor of Mantralaya in Mumbai and will be chaired by the Maharashtra Minister of State for Urban Development, Eknath Shinde. If the OBC category wins the reservation for the post, there is a high possibility that one of the two former House leaders, Ganesh Bidkar and Srinath Bhimale, could be elected for the post of mayor.
Ganesh Bidkar's supporters had put up banners saying "Mayor Ganesh Bidkar" in the city even before the counting of votes. This banner has sparked a debate in political circles in the city, as the name of Bhimale was also in the discussion for the post of Mayor. Local media reports said Bhimale, who was aspiring for the Assembly, withdrew from contesting the election after receiving the promise of the post of Mayor.
Another name doing rounds is BJP city president Dheeraj Ghate, who has not openly declared his desire for the post yet. However, reports claim he indirectly gave a political warning to former MP Muralidhar Mohol by stating, “This victory is not for anyone personally but for the entire Bharatiya Janata Party.” Ghate’s absence during the victory celebrations also hints at factionalism within the party.
Since there are two clear BJP factions in Pune city, the election of the mayor is likely to be more complicated. The decision will likely be taken by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.