By Tejas Navale
Pune, November 12, 2024: The rivalry between Pune district’s political heavyweights—the Thopte family from Bhor and the Pawar family from Baramati—has spanned generations, with a long-standing history of competition for local influence. The feud that once played out between Anantrao Thopte and Sharad Pawar has now carried over to their successors. In recent years, Sangram Thopte, the sitting Congress MLA from Bhor, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar have often found themselves at odds, despite public attempts at reconciliation.
In 2019, it was anticipated that Sangram Thopte might become the Assembly Speaker. However, reports at the time indicated that Ajit Pawar’s internal opposition prevented Thopte from securing the position or a ministerial role. While Sharad Pawar made a symbolic visit to the Thopte family’s home in Bhor ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to ease tensions, the rivalry between Ajit Pawar and Sangram Thopte appears far from resolved.
Yesterday, during his campaign for Mahayuti’s candidate in Bhor, Ajit Pawar sharply criticised Sangram Thopte’s record as MLA, alleging ineffective governance. Pawar went further, mimicking Thopte’s mannerisms while commenting on the lacklustre condition of the local ST stand. Responding to Pawar’s comments, Thopte fired back, stating, “Ajit Pawar has a habit of making bold statements only to regret them later.”
NCP leader Rupali Chakankar also took a dig at Thopte recently, levelling serious accusations against him while rallying for the NCP’s candidate in the constituency. These exchanges have ignited a flurry of accusations and counter-accusations, raising the political temperature in Bhor as both sides campaigned their candidates.
Sangram Thopte, a three-time MLA, is again in the race under the Congress banner. Meanwhile, the Mahayuti alliance has put its support behind Shankar Mandekar, fielding him on an NCP ticket. Despite Bhor’s reputation as a stronghold for the Thopte family, Ajit Pawar’s active involvement in Mandekar’s campaign could make this a close contest. All eyes are now on Bhor to see if Mandekar can break Thopte’s winning streak or if the veteran MLA will retain his hold on this constituency.
