Laxman Jagtap: Development of Pimpri-Chinchwad topped his agenda, took on Pawars, helped BJP wrest control of PCMC
Sitting BJP MLA Laxman Jagtap, who is credited with changing the face of the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, passed away after a long battle with cancer Tuesday. The end came at a private hospital in Baner where he was admitted more than two months ago. He was 59 and is survived by his wife, a daughter, and a son.
Paying tributes, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said, “In Laxman Jagtap’s death, the BJP has lost a loyalist and a strong leader. He created his own space through his hard work and became popular. He always fought for the people and took a stand in their favour. He also battled with his illness for a long time. And during this time, he never shirked his responsibility as a public representative. Development of Pimpri-Chinchwad was his priority till the end.”
A long-time resident of Pimple Gurav area of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Jagtap had been in and out of the hospital for months now, but he looked determined to come out of his illness. “I have fought many battles in my life and have rarely lost any… I will overcome this one too,” Jagtap told this correspondent when he returned home from the hospital over three months ago after being put on a ventilator. During his stay in the hospital, rumours flew thick and fast about his possible death. However, Jagtap surprised everyone as a video clip of him smiling and waving from his hospital room went viral, much to the relief of his legion of supporters.
A fitness enthusiast – he loved horse riding, brisk walking and always flexed his muscles to show his prowess – Jagtap’s health started deteriorating more than three years ago after he was detected with a serious illness. However, Jagtap continued to attend party meetings and pursued development works in his constituency, said his close aides.
Jagtap was first elected as PCMC (Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation) corporator in 1986. He remained a corporator for 20 years. He became the mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad in 2000. He was subsequently elected as standing committee chairman of the PCMC as well. Known for his proximity to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Jagtap was a ministerial candidate from the BJP but his illness kept him out of the Shinde-Fadnavis cabinet.
Jagtap was first elected as PCMC (Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation) corporator in 1986. He remained a corporator for 20 years. (Express photo)
Jagtap’s popularity as a politician rose after he got elected as an MLC in 2004 despite severe odds. Contesting as an Independent, Jagtap defeated the official Congress nominee from the Pune local self-government constituency. From here, Jagtap never looked back as he scaled new heights in the political terrain. He was subsequently elected as MLA from the Chinchwad assembly constituency thrice. Once as an Independent and twice as a BJP candidate.
He started his political career with the Congress but joined the NCP after it came into being in 1999. He was considered the “right-hand man” of NCP leader Ajit Pawar “who had given him complete reins of the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body,” said a close aide.
He shifted to the BJP in 2014 and was instrumental in the party coming to power in the PCMC for the first time in 2017. Until Jagtap joined the BJP, the party was a non-entity in Pimpri-Chinchwad. It rarely even crossed the double-digit mark in a House of over 100 corporators. However, the power equation changed after Jagtap joined the BJP along with another NCP leader Mahesh Landge. In the 2017 elections, the BJP for the first time in over three decades managed to grab power in the PCMC. Pimpri-Chinchwad otherwise had been a bastion of the Sharad Pawar family. “Laxman Jagtap was largely responsible for the BJP grabbing power for the first time in the PCMC in more than three decades. He was behind the BJP’s rise in Pimpri-Chinchwad from a complete non-entity. He snatched the PCMC from the Pawar family…” said BJP leader Sarang Kamtekar.
Jagtap managed to get more than 40 sitting corporators of the NCP to the BJP and the trick worked. From less than 10 corporators in 2012, the BJP got close to 80 corporators in the 2017 PCMC elections, which even surprised its state leadership. The then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave full credit to Jagtap and Landge, and described them as “Ram-Laxman ki jodi.” Though subsequently, Jagtap fell ill, he never loosened his grip over the PCMC. “He closely monitored PCMC functioning and raised objections whenever he felt things were not being done correctly. He also gave his inputs regularly,” said former BJP corporator Seema Savale. The PCMC was first ruled by the Congress (since 1986), and then the Congress and the NCP jointly ruled the civic body until the BJP ousted them from power in 2017.
In 2014, Jagtap left the NCP on the issue of illegal construction. He wanted the then Congress-NCP government to legalise illegal structures across Pimpri-Chinchwad. However, the Congress-NCP government failed to do so. An agitated Jagtap then decided to dump the NCP.
Bhosari MLA Mahesh Landge said Jagtap was a visionary leader who pushed the development agenda hard. “Laxman Jagtap had a lion’s share in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s development. He had foresight… He believed that the city would suffer if development was not carried out in an orderly and disciplined manner. He, therefore, got his plans implemented keeping the future needs of the industrial city. And today, a major part of Pimpri-Chinchwad has developed in an eye-catching manner,” said Landge.
Landge said Jagtap’s relentless efforts to get illegal constructions regularised will finally see the light of the day. “Last week, the government in the state assembly promised to waive penalty tax and regularise constructions. These demands were on top of his agenda and will now become a reality,” said Landge, adding that Jagtap was closely connected with the masses, making him the popular leader in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
“Jagtap nursed his Chinchwad constituency like his own child. In the last 15-20 years, Pimpri-Chinchwad acquired a new look as it witnessed rapid development with high-rise buildings, bridges, flyovers, grade separators, and other projects coming up. The major chunk of development happened in Pimple Gurav, Pimple Saudagar, Sangvi, Rahatni, Wakad, Kalewadi, and nearby areas, which were part of the Chinchwad constituency represented by Jagtap.
BJP MLA Laxman Jagtap with Nana Patekar (Express photo)
“Wide and pothole-free roads are hallmarks of development in these areas. Gardens, grounds, swimming pools, and flyovers dot the length and breadth of these suburbs. Credit for this should go to Laxman Jagtap. He was instrumental in ushering in the rapid development of suburbs like Pimple Gurav, Pimple Saudagar, Wakad, and others. He was forceful and persuasive. If he initiated a project, he ensured that it was completed within a set deadline. He believed in disciplined and orderly functioning,” said NCP corporator Yogesh Behl, who is also a former mayor.
Behl and Jagtap were in the NCP together. However, Jagtap later joined the BJP but their friendship remained intact. “I never interfered with his work nor did he ever create impediments in my way… We always remained good friends,” said Behl.
Paying tributes, Maval MP Shrirang Barne, with whom Jagtap reportedly had political differences, said: “We were political rivals but I cannot deny the fact that Jagtap had a big role to play in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s development. He worked for the common man. He was battling cancer for a long time. We thought he would come out of it as he was known for his fighting spirit. But that was not to be. Pimpri-Chinchwad has lost a leader who worked relentlessly for its development.”
