Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Ravindra Chavan on Saturday hit back at deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar over his allegations of corruption and mounting debt in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), asking the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief to “introspect” before making such claims.
Reacting to Pawar’s statement that corruption had plagued the civic body and pushed it into debt, Chavan noted that the BJP had ruled the PCMC from 2017 to 2022, after which the corporation had been under an administrator appointed by the state government. (HT)
Chavan said that if the BJP were to begin levelling allegations in response, it could create serious problems for Pawar. He reminded him that the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is a partner of the BJP in the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Reacting to Pawar’s statement that corruption had plagued the civic body and pushed it into debt, Chavan noted that the BJP had ruled the PCMC from 2017 to 2022, after which the corporation had been under an administrator appointed by the state government.
“Ajit Pawar should first introspect before making such allegations. He must clarify whom he is referring to. Is he targeting the party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi?” Chavan asked.
He reiterated that counter-allegations by the BJP would place Pawar in a difficult position.
Chavan said he had urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to rethink the decision when Ajit Pawar and his colleagues joined the government after splitting NCP. “We know how all these people (Ajit Pawar and his colleagues) joined us. I used to often tell Devendra Fadnavis privately to think a bit.” Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde government in 2023 after he split the NCP.
Responding to Chavan’s remarks, Ajit Pawar said, “Chavan is state unit chief of BJP which is a large party. He has said what he wanted to say, I have said what I wanted to…”
The PCMC is scheduled to go to the polls on January 15, along with 28 other municipal corporations across the state.
On Friday, Pawar launched an attack on the BJP’s governance record in PCMC. He accused the BJP of plunging the civic body into debt and mismanagement during its rule.
Pawar claimed that PCMC’s deposits fell from ₹4,844 crore to around ₹2,000 crore under BJP leadership. He alleged rampant corruption, saying funds were withdrawn as loans with little to show in tangible development.
Pawar also criticised traffic congestion and poor infrastructure, claiming that roads had narrowed and city travel had deteriorated under the BJP administration.
Pawar went further, claiming that under the BJP rule, various mafia activities have taken root in Pimpri-Chinchwad. He alleged that land and excavation mafias operate with impunity, pointing to widespread roadside digging by telecom companies without proper oversight. He said local areas had become lawless, with “gangs roaming in broad daylight.”
Candidates elected unopposed
Chavan defended the unopposed election of BJP candidates in Kalyan-Dombivli and some other civic bodies, attributing it to the absence of opposition nominees. “For years, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena contested against each other in Kalyan-Dombivli. Now that the BJP and the Shiv Sena, led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, are allies, there is effectively no opposition in the fray,” he said.
Fielding candidates from criminal background
After Murlidhar Mohol, minister of state for civil aviation and Pune MP launched a sharp attack on Pawar, for allotting tickets to candidates with criminal backgrounds for the upcoming elections. Pawar had on Friday also justified fielding candidates with criminal cases for the civic polls, arguing that allegations do not amount to guilt. Referring to past accusations against him, he said he had been accused of orchestrating a ₹70,000-crore irrigation scam but was now in power alongside those who had made the claims.
“Everyone knows such allegations were made against me. Today, I am sharing power with those who accused me. Can anyone be called guilty before it is proved?” Pawar had said.
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP has given tickets to Sonali Andekar, daughter-in-law of gang leader Suryakant alias Bandu Andekar, and his sister-in-law Laxmi Andekar through its ally, the Republican Party of India (Sachin Kharat faction). Sonali, Laxmi and Bandu Andekar are accused in the murder of Andekar’s grandson, Ayush Komkar, and are currently lodged in jail.