Pune: Hadapsar’s Changing Dynamics: NCP’s Chetan Tupe Faces Tough Competition in Upcoming Elections

Pune:

Seat allocation between the Mahayuti alliance and the Mahavikas Aghadi is set to be finalised within the next two days, with the first list of candidates expected to be released shortly. All eyes are now on the seat-sharing arrangements in Pune district, particularly on which parties will field candidates in key constituencies like Hadapsar.

The situation is interesting in Hadapsar assembly constituency, where the NCP’s Chetan Tupe is the sitting MLA. After the split in the NCP party, Tupe decided to stay with Ajit Pawar. Historically, Hadapsar has been a stronghold for both the Congress and NCP. However, it’s worth noting that candidates from the previous Yuti alliance of Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have won this seat twice, in 2009 and 2014.

Further, the voters have time and again avoided the repetition of the same candidate in this assembly constituency. Therefore, considering the changed political situation in the assembly, the caste equations, and the increased number of voters from outside, the upcoming contest in this constituency promises to be a closely watched one.

This seat is expected to go in favour of the NCP party in Mahayuti, as the NCP’s Chetan Tupe is the sitting MLA from this assembly. However, a few days ago, the city president of Shiv Sena (Shinde group) Nana Bhangire met the CM Eknath Shinde at his Varsha Bungalow to demand his candidature from this assembly on the Shiv Sena’s ticket.

Whereas, on the Mahavikas Aghadi side, the NCP (SP) is likely to contest the seat. Prashant Jagtap, the NCP (SP) city president, is seen as the frontrunner but faces competition from other potential candidates, including former corporator Yogesh Sasane and Praveen Tupe, the president of the Hadapsar assembly constituency. Additionally, former Congress Minister of State Balasaheb Shivarkar and Shiv Sena (UBT) ex-MLA Mahadev Babar are also vying for the nomination.

Local Issues to Dominate Hadapsar Campaign

Several pressing issues in Hadapsar will be central to the upcoming campaign, including the division of the Shiv Sena and NCP, delayed water supply schemes, development plan roads, traffic congestion, the metro project, alternative road networks, and the lack of adequate healthcare facilities and women’s toilets. Other concerns such as inclusive village development, uneven water supply, waste management, and the need for separate parking lots and highway widening are also expected to feature prominently in the election.

In the 2019 assembly election, Chetan Tupe of the NCP secured 92,326 votes, narrowly defeating the BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar by a margin of 2,820 votes.