Pune: No minister from Pimpri-Chinchwad in 40 years’ history
Pune / Pimpri: A ministerial berth once again eluded Pimpri-Chinchwad in the State Cabinet expansion recently. Five local leaders were earlier given a state minister’s rank by appointing them to various government corporations.
Three-term Bhosari BJP MLA Mahesh Landge and NCP (AP) Pimpri MLA Anna Bansode were disappointed. No MLA from the industrial township has ever been made a Minister of State or a Cabinet Minister till date.
Office-bearers from the twin towns have got a state minister’s rank. They included BJP Secretary Sachin Patwardhan, who was appointed a member of the State Public Accounts Committee for two consecutive terms. MLC Amit Gorkhe was appointed in the Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe Financial Development Corporation. Sadashiv Khade was named the President of PCNTDA. Azam Pansare was appointed as a member of the Consumer Welfare Committee. Dnyaneshwar Kamble became the President of the Sant Rohidas Leather Industries and Charmakar Development Corporation.
MLA Mahesh Landge, who has been elected for the third consecutive term, was a strong contender for a ministerial berth. Banners hailing him as the future minister were raised across the segment. But he was not made a minister.
Another three-term MLA Anna Bansode from Pimpri is a close aide of DyCM Ajit Pawar. He was expected to be made a minister, which could have helped his party to wrest control of the civic body in the civic election. He was also not sworn in as a minister.
MLA Sunil Shelke from Maval was also expected to get a berth. But he will have to wait for 2.5 years to get one.
Maha Yuti’s five legislators in Pimpri-Chinchwad
The Maha Yuti has five local legislators, including two BJP MLAs, two MLCs and an NCP (AP) MLA. This has boosted the strength of Maha Yuti in the twin towns. It was expected that one of them would be made a minister in the backdrop of the impending civic elections. However, office-bearers and workers of the BJP and the NCP (AP) from Pimpri-Chinchwad were disappointed.
