Nagpur: In a strategic move that blends corporate expertise with deep-rooted ideological loyalty, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has named Manjusha Nagpure as its candidate for the next Mayor of Pune. A 46-year-old has a postgraduate degree in Business Management and is a third-time corporator. Nagpure’s ascent to the city’s highest civic office marks a significant shift toward highly educated leadership within the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Nagpure’s path to the Mayor’s bungalow was paved by a decisive victory in the January 15 PMC elections, where she was elected unopposed from the Suncity-Manikbaug ward on Sinhagad Road. Her selection is seen as a major tactical play by the BJP. Her electoral ward falls squarely within the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, the high-stakes political fortress of NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule. By elevating Nagpure, the BJP aims to strengthen its foothold in a territory it has long been desperate to flip.
“Saffron” professional with academic pedigree
Born in 1979, Nagpure represents a new breed of “corporate-style” politicians. A graduate of Savitribai Phule Pune University (1999) with a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from ICFAI University (2021), she originally built a career in the IT sector. However, at the insistence of her family, who are stalwarts of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), she traded software for social service, entering electoral politics in 2012.
Her political backbone is reinforced by her husband, Deepak Nagpure, a staunch right-wing leader and a prominent BJP office-bearer. Together, the couple manages a successful commercial leasing business, with Nagpure declaring assets worth Rs 3.22 crore. Despite her high-profile political life, she remains a busy mother of two, aged 17 and 5.
Solving Pune’s infrastructure gridlock
Nagpure was preferred for the mayoral role over seasoned veterans like four-time corporator Varsha Tapkir and three-time corporator Mansi Deshpande. Her campaign was built on a pragmatic, data-driven “to-do list” for the city.
She has pledged to overhaul traffic signals, widen bottlenecked roads, and modernise the PMPML bus service to provide a viable alternative to private vehicles. Representing the flood-prone Sinhagad Road area, she plans to construct a robust retaining wall along the Mutha River and implement a high-tech Flood Alert System for early resident warnings.
During her campaigning, Nagpure was a vocal advocate for the ongoing Riverfront Development and Beautification project. She also aims to launch the “Swachh Ward, Beautiful Ward” initiative to eliminate open-air waste dumping. In the social sector, she has promised to upgrade civic-run hospitals and introduce digital education in PMC schools to bridge the technological divide.