PUNE, 6 NOV. The upcoming Indapur Municipal Council elections are poised to be a significant political battle, with the prestige of several key leaders riding on the outcome. These leaders include State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne, former Minister Harshvardhan Patil, Pradeep Garatkar (District President of the Nationalist Congress Party – Ajit Pawar faction), and Praveen Mane of the Sonai Group, who has joined the BJP. The Municipal Council, which previously had 17 corporators and a Mayor, has increased its number of corporator seats by three under the new ward structure.

Pradeep Garatkar, who has the political backing of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Minister Dattatray Bharne, is currently focused on the city. He previously held the Municipal Council for many years on his own strength. A key point of interest is whether members of his family will contest the election.

Former Minister Harshvardhan Patil is currently maintaining a quiet stance, which is being widely discussed as the "calm before the storm." Praveen Mane, of the Sonai Group and now with the BJP, is seen as playing a vital role and has started conducting interviews for BJP aspirants.

The contest is also affected by former Deputy Mayor Bharat Shah, whose decision on whether to contest on a party symbol or as an independent is still awaited. Furthermore, Prof. Krishna Tate, husband of former Mayor Alka Tate, will be contesting through the 'Indapur City Civil Struggle Committee.' The presence of all these political figures is expected to make the Indapur Municipal Council election highly competitive, especially since the Mayor's post is for the General category, attracting many contenders.

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