The abrupt end to Pune pattern seems to have boosted the morale of corporators who have been eyeing the State assembly polls. According to one estimate, as many as three dozen corporators are preparing to enter the assembly poll fray.

The alliance of convenience forged two and a half years ago among the NCP, Shiv Sena and the BJP in the Pune Municipal Corporation had come to an end on Tuesday.

Around 10 NCP corporators, seven of the BJP and four of the Shiv Sena are looking to contest the eight assembly seats in the city. If these corporators enter the fray, those sharing power and seating in the civic corridors will be battling it out with each other.

“The alliance with the saffron parties was temporary and the snapping of ties will yield positive results in the assembly polls. The minority community was upset over the alliance as it was hampering the secular image of the party. Now, things will fall in line,” city NCP chief Jaideo Gaikwad.

He said it would have been difficult for the party to approach the voters while sharing power with the Sena-BJP combine in the PMC.

BJP spokesperson Ujjwal Keskar said the parting of ways would end the confusion among the general public. “The citizens preferred the MNS over the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls, which helped the Congress retain the Pune seat.”

It was high time that the alliance was brought to an end, he said.

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