Once a rickshaw puller, now, a mayor

■ Rahul became mayor of the Pimpri Chinchwad in Pune ◗ 36- year- old BJP corporator used to drive an auto- rickshaw from 1996 to 2003 to make ends meet. Rahul Jadhav joined BJP in 2017.

Pune, Aug. 5: From driving an auto- rickshaw for a living years ago to becoming the mayor of the industrial town of Pimpri Chinchwad, Rahul Jadhav has come a long way. Jadhav was elected as the mayor of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation in Pune district on Saturday.

The 128- member civic body is ruled by the BJP.

Belonging to a family of farmers and educated till Class 10, the 36- year- old BJP corporator used to drive a six- seater autorickshaw between 1996 and 2003 to make ends meet. “But after the ban on six- seater auto- rickshaws, I turned to farming, but soon switched to driving again and took up job as a driver in a private firm,” Jadhav said.

He entered politics in 2006 and joined the Raj Thackeray- led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in 2007. He soon tasted electoral success and became a corporator.

“In 2012, I became a corporatoron the MNS ticket for the first time. In 2017, I joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and became the corporatorfor the second time,” he said.

After Nitin Kalje resigned as the mayor, the BJP proposed Jadhav’s name for the post.

Since the NCP also fielded its candidate, the election was held on Saturday in which Jadhav got 81 out of total 120 votes polled. Eight corporators abstained from voting.

“As an auto- rickshaw driver, I have seen the pain and struggles of people to make their ends meet. As the mayor, my first priority will be to work for the uplift of the common man,” Jadhav said.