India, Jan. 4 -- As the deadline for withdrawing nominations for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections closed on Thursday, Wards 23 and 24 have emerged as key battlegrounds, with high-stakes contests shaping up between seasoned rivals and prominent political families.

In Ward 24, senior leader Ganesh Bidkar is headed for a direct contest with Shiv Sena's Pranav Dhangekar, the son of former MLA Ravindra Dhangekar. The race is steeped in political history, recalling the closely fought 2017 PMC election in which Ravindra Dhangekar had defeated Bidkar, an outcome that continues to influence local political dynamics.

The rivalry deepened after the bypoll in which Ravindra Dhangekar, then with the Congress, defeated the Bharatiya Jan...