EXCLUSIVE: BJP's Kunal Tilak To Contest Pune Municipal Elections, Calls It A 'Stepping Stone' For His Career

Kunal Tilak, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra spokesperson and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Maharashtra vice-president, is all set to contest the forthcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections.

Tilak was eager to contest the 2024 state polls from the Kasba Peth Assembly constituency. However, the saffron party chose to give the ticket to Hemant Rasane instead. With the next Assembly polls five years away, speaking to The Free Press Journal, Tilak said he chose to contest the PMC polls.

'I must earn the mandate of the people'

"I wanted to contest the Assembly polls, but I didn't get the ticket. The next election is five years away, so I've decided to contest the PMC polls instead. I need to start somewhere, right? I must earn the mandate of the people and then prove my performance to my party," Tilak said.

'Only a few lucky ones get to become MLAs or MPs directly'

When asked whether contesting the corporation polls would be perceived as a step down, he said, "No, not at all. I don't think it's a step down for me. Instead, I consider it a stepping stone in my political career. If you look at the BJP's structure, there's a natural progression—a corporator becomes an MLA, an MLA becomes an MP, and so on. Only a few lucky ones get to become MLAs or MPs directly."

'I am young, educated and honest'

Asked about the key issues he plans to highlight to voters in the lead-up to the polls, Tilak said he presents a different type of politics—the politics of development. "I am young, educated and honest. I come from a family that has maintained its integrity. I have already been speaking on developmental works, traffic, roads and restoration of old properties in my constituency and will continue to do so. Besides, by being accessible, I will continue to gain the confidence of the people," he concluded.

With the Supreme Court directing the Maharashtra government to hold municipal elections within four months, political activity has picked up in Pune.

According to PMC officials, if the elections are held based on the existing population data and previous ward structure, the city will have 44 wards with four corporators per ward, taking the total to 166 corporators.

Until 2022, PMC had 162 corporators—a number likely to rise due to the inclusion of 34 merged villages.

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