Pune’s political atmosphere has heated up sharply ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections after senior BJP leader Ujwala Sharma Goud levelled explosive allegations against her own party’s ticket distribution process. Claiming she was unfairly sidelined, Goud has accused party insiders of demanding massive sums of money from aspirants in exchange for PMC tickets.
Following the denial of a party ticket, Goud submitted her nomination as an Independent candidate from Ward No. 24, covering the Kasba Ganpati–Kamla Nehru Hospital–KME Hospital area. In a dramatic declaration, she said she would actively work to prevent BJP candidates from winning in the ward.
Speaking after filing her nomination, Goud said she was deeply hurt by what she described as a betrayal of long-standing party workers. She alleged that tickets were allegedly “sold” for amounts running into crores and claimed to possess details of those involved in the transactions. According to her, the issue has reached a point where honest grassroots workers are being sidelined in favour of money power.
Goud further stated that she plans to meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, asserting that the party leadership may not be fully aware of what is happening at the local level. She said she would make public disclosures regarding the alleged ticket dealings after holding discussions with senior leaders.
The unrest within the BJP has not remained limited to one leader. Amol Balwadkar, another BJP functionary denied a PMC ticket, has exited the party and joined the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). After filing his nomination, Balwadkar openly criticised the BJP’s internal functioning, calling it authoritarian and dismissive of loyal workers.
Balwadkar claimed that despite strong local support and encouragement to contest independently, he respected the party’s leadership and waited patiently. However, he said the final decision shattered the morale of party workers who had stood by him for months. He asserted that sidelining grassroots leaders would have serious political consequences.
