Congress hopes to recreate Kasba magic; BJP confident of victory
After witnessing extensive campaigns from candidates for a month and a half, Pune is set to go to polls today
PUNE: After witnessing extensive campaigns from candidates for a month and a half, Pune is set to go to polls on Monday with both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress hoping to register victory.
Thrilled after the knockout win of the Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar in the Kasba Peth assembly by-elections in March 2023, the Congress has attempted to cash in on the goodwill and hope that its candidate will repeat the same performance.
The BJP on its part is banking on some of the big-ticket projects either undertaken during the past few years or slated to be launched in the coming year.
The saffron party also has an advantage in the campaign as it announced Murlidhar Mohol’s name more than 60 days ago.
The Pune parliamentary seat has mostly been held in the past by Congress. In 1999, the BJP’s Pradip Rawat defeated Mohan Joshi of the Congress. Later Suresh Kalmadi of Congress wrested back the seat from BJP in 2004 and retained the hold after the 2009 polls.
After 2014, the BJP, however, tightened its grip over the constituency with back-to-back wins with a margin of more than 3 lakh votes.
This time due to the death of veteran leader and MP Girish Bapat, BJP fielded Mohol, former mayor of Pune and a
Maratha face.
Vasant More of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) is also in the fray, although Prakash Ambedkar’s party has not been able to create any buzz.
Pune Lok Sabha constituency is an urban constituency having dominant communities like Maratha, Brahmin, Scheduled Castes, and Muslims. The seat comprises six assembly constituencies - Kothrud, Kasba Peth, Shivajinagar, Wadgaonsheri, Pune Cantonment and Parvati. Out of the six, the BJP has MLAs in four assembly constituencies, while the Congress and NCP hold one each.
By announcing its candidate early, BJP took the lead over Congress as the latter also faced internal opposition for the candidature of Ravindra Dhangekar, an OBC.
However, the Congress managed to put its act in order as the campaign reached midway.
After the Kasba Peth bypoll outcome, many in Congress feel that defeating the saffron party is possible - provided they fight the polls united. On its part, the BJP is trying to fight the election on its developmental work like the Metro, flyovers, river rejuvenation, etc.