Two women BJP leaders engage in verbal duel over girl’s hostel

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Written by: Ajay Jadhav3 min readPuneUpdated: Apr 16, 2026 09:49 AM IST The building will have parking on ground floor, four classrooms, kitchen, office, mess, meeting hall on first floor and 12 rooms each on the next three floors to accommodate a total of 120 girl students. (Express Photo) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT At a time when the political reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Assembly election will be discussed in Parliament from Thursday for implementation, two women BJP leaders — sitting corporator Rohini Chimte and former corporator Rajashree Kale — created a ruckus in the main building of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) by engaging in verbal duel over construction of girls hostel in Baner. The PMC is constructing a four-storey building for residential education centre for backward community and tribal category girl students in Baner. The building will have parking on ground floor, four classrooms, kitchen, office, mess, meeting hall on first floor and 12 rooms each on the next three floors to accommodate a total of 120 girl students. According to PMC, most of the civil work of the project has been completed at an expense of Rs 6.58 crore while additional expenses of Rs 3 crore has been approved for electric and furniture work to be undertaken in the current financial year. Chimte along with her supporters visited the civic main building on Wednesday to complain about the ongoing construction of the girls hostel which was put on hold and she reportedly urged the civic administration to send the contractor to meet her. At the same time, Kale reached the civic office and alleged that Chimte was stalling the implementation of the project. The two engaged in a verbal duel abusing each other. Chimte left the civic office as Kale continued to speak against her. Later, Kale alleged, “Chimte was demanding money from the contractor to let ongoing work continue. Work worth Rs 3 crore is to be done this year and there was no reason for her to interfere in the civic work.” “The girls hostel is for backward class and tribal category students. What has Chimte done till now for the tribal and backward class community,” Kale said. Chimte said the allegations made by Kale were completely false. “I had visited the civic office to enquire about the damaged compound wall near the project site. Kale came and started an argument,” she said. Chimte was elected to PMC on NCP ticket in previous term and shifted to BJP ahead of civic polls this year. Both Chimte and Kale were elected to PMC from the seat reserved for women in ST category. “The incident is very serious and needs to be condemned. Their political party should look into the issue as this is happening a day before there is a discussion of reservation for women in politics at state and national level. and the civic administration should enquire whether there was corruption in the past and present for implementation of the project,” said civic activist Vivek Velankar. Activist Vaishali Patkar said the city has a woman mayor and women corporators have been doing good work in performing their duties. “Sitting and former corporator should not get into such fights as it sends wrong message in public when everyone is supporting the reservation of women in state assembly and Lok Sabha elections,” she said. Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, Pune. With over 22 years of experience in the industry, he is a highly specialized journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of urban infrastructure, governance, and sustainability. Professional Background  Role: As Assistant Editor, he plays a key role in the editorial direction of the Pune bureau, specializing in urban policy and its direct impact on citizens. Education: He holds a Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a PG Diploma in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). He also studied at the prestigious Fergusson College. Impactful Reporting: He is credited with research-based articles on conservancy staff (waste workers) that influenced national policy for better working conditions. He is also known for exposing the contrast between high-end infrastructure (like helipads for leaders) and the lack of basic amenities like schools in their home districts. Personal Interests: An avid trekker and sports enthusiast, his personal interest in the outdoors often informs his reporting on environmental protection and sustainable development. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) His reporting in late 2025 has been dominated by the upcoming January 2026 Civic Polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, and the city's infrastructure boom: 1. Political Analysis (Civic Elections 2026) "Not friendly but a bitter fight lies ahead between BJP and NCP for PMC, PCMC" (Dec 22, 2025): A detailed look at the intense rivalry between the Mahayuti partners as they prepare for the January 15 municipal elections. "Pune civic polls: Big blow to NCP, NCP(SP) as leaders switch to BJP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on high-profile poaching and party-hopping ahead of the elections. "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): Analyzing the results of the local self-government body elections as a precursor to the main civic polls. 2. Infrastructure & Urban Development "Looking Ahead at 2026: Pune to see inauguration of much-awaited Hinjewadi to Shivajinagar metro route" (Dec 22, 2025): An "outlook" piece on the critical Metro Line 3 project expected to finish by March 2026. "Building Pune: PMC to construct double-decker bridge over Mula-Mutha River" (Dec 18, 2025): Detailing a major project aimed at easing traffic between Hadapsar and Kharadi.  "Condition of highway from Pune to Kolhapur to improve in a year: Gadkari" (Dec 4, 2025): Reporting on the Union Minister’s assurances regarding one of the state's most critical transport corridors. 3. Civic Governance & Environment "Install sensors, LED indicators at construction sites within 15 days: PMC to builders" (Dec 16, 2025): A follow-up to the "Breathless Pune" series, reporting on new mandates for builders to monitor air quality in real-time. "Errors in electoral rolls: PMC corrects data of 92,466 voters" (Dec 16, 2025): Tracking the administrative efforts to clean up the voter lists before the 2026 elections. Signature Style Ajay Jadhav is known for accountability journalism. His work often bridges the gap between high-level policy and the "ground zero" reality of Pune's residents. He is particularly focused on Sustainable Development, ensuring that as Pune grows into a "Bharat Mandapam" style destination (referring to his report on the Lohegaon project), its environmental and social safeguards remain intact. X (Twitter): @ajay_khape ... Read More Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories