MP Shrirang Barne, representing Maval, finds himself embroiled in a challenging predicament within the Panvel Constituency. The unresolved issue of property tax has surfaced as a major concern among residents of the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), formerly under CIDCO jurisdiction. This failure to effectively address the matter has intensified scrutiny on Barne's leadership in the region.
During a press conference convened on March 7 in Panvel, MP Barne pledged to tackle the pressing property tax concern by engaging with the Chief Minister and ensuring its resolution prior to the announcement of the Lok Sabha election. Regrettably, the Election Commission of India unveiled the election timetable on March 16, rendering any potential decision on this issue unattainable.
Leena Garad, a former corporator and president of Kharghar Colony Forum informed that the forum has passed a proposal to contest the Lok Sabha election if they do not receive a concrete assurance from the candidate or political parties regarding the property tax matter.
In the midst of these developments, the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction has reached out to the Colony Forum seeking support for its candidate, Sanjoy Waghere, for the Maval seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Leena Garad confirmed that they received a call from Shiv Sena (UBT) regarding support for Waghere, and a meeting was subsequently arranged with Aditya Thackeray at Matoshree in Mumbai on Friday.
"We have presented our demand regarding the property tax issue. Whoever provides a written assurance to resolve it after coming into power, the Colony Forum will extend its support," stated Garad. Now, a meeting is scheduled to be held with candidate Waghere to discuss this matter further.
If assurances are not forthcoming, the Colony Forum has decided to field its own candidate, as resolved on Sunday. The Panvel constituency has around 5.57 lakhs voters and around 80 percent contributes from CIDCO administered areas where a large section of residents are opposing the tax collection by PMC. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the sitting MP Barne secured 1,60,385 votes from the Panvel constituency, out of the total 7,18,950 votes he received. Barne had also won the 2014 election.
With Kharghar node alone accounting for more than one lakh votes, any shift in votes could significantly impact any candidate's prospects. The sitting MP Shrirang Barne had defeated NCP Parth Pawar in 2019 by 2,15,575 votes. Now, the Shiv Sena has been divided vertically, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction garnering sympathy votes due to Uddhav Thackeray's image. This sets the stage for a direct contest between two factions of the Shiv Sena: sitting MP Shrirang Barne representing the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Sanjog Waghere Patil representing Shiv Sena (UBT).
Furthermore, of the six constituencies in Maval, three are located in Pune district and three in Raigad. Given Pune's strong hold by the NCP, there have been calls for an NCP candidate to contest from the Maval seat.