Prabhag No 21 of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, located largely within the Nagpur East Assembly segment and covering Prem Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Satranjipura, parts of Lakadganj including the Bhaji Mandi area, and adjoining railway-side localities, is shaping up as one of the most keenly watched wards ahead of the 2025 civic elections. With a record of split mandates and sharp vote division, the ward is once again expected to witness a multi-cornered contest driven more by candidate credibility than party loyalty.

 

 

 

The 2017 NMC elections underlined Prabhag 21’s unpredictable nature. In sub-seat 21A, BJP’s Jyoti Shridhar Bhisikar won with 11,081 votes (34.62%), narrowly ahead of Congress candidate Ashwini Sachin Bokade, who secured 9,816 votes (30.67%). Sub-seat 21B saw Congress register a win through Nitin Rambhau Sathawane, who polled 8,413 votes (26.28%), defeating Independent Ravindra Govindrao Dolas. In 21C, Independent candidate Abha Vijaykumar Pande emerged victorious with 10,083 votes (31.50%), defeating Congress’s Rekha Harishchandra Yadav. BJP retained another foothold in 21D, where Mahesh Keshavrao Mahajan won with 11,020 votes (34.43%), while Congress candidate Irshad Ismail Ali finished second with 6,582 votes.

 

 

Abha Pande, the 2017 Independent winner from 21C, has already filed her nomination and is contesting this time on the ticket of the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction). Her early move and transition from Independent to a recognised party is expected to consolidate her personal vote base while adding organisational backing, forcing both BJP and Congress to rethink their candidate selection and booth-level strategies.

 

 

Prabhag 21 has a population of over 63,000, marked by dense habitation and social diversity. Muslim communities form a significant voting bloc in Satranjipura, while OBC, Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste populations are concentrated in railway-side pockets and older residential areas. Lakadganj and the Bhaji Mandi belt are dominated by trader, labour and migrant working-class voters, making economic and civic issues electorally decisive. 

 

 

Public dissatisfaction over erratic water supply, poor sanitation near market areas, traffic congestion, encroachments and deteriorating internal roads has intensified due to the prolonged absence of elected corporators. The ward also falls under the influence of Nagpur East MLA Krishna Khopde, whose interventions in civic and law-and-order matters are expected to influence voter perception, particularly in BJP-aligned pockets.