Pune bypolls: MVA and Sena-BJP face multiple challenges

The polls were necessitated by the demise of Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, the BJP’s sitting MPs from Kasba Peth and Chinchwad respectively.

Mumbai: The ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance and opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have pulled out all stops to ensure a win in the two bypolls in Pune district on February 26. The polls were necessitated by the demise of Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, the BJP’s sitting MPs from Kasba Peth and Chinchwad respectively.

Devendra Fadnavis, in a rally on Friday, announced that the fight was between “nationalists and traitors”. “The NCP has said that it will bring Muslims not only from across the country but also from outside the country to defeat prime minister Narendra Modi and RSS,” he said. “As such, it is a fight against traitors, and Kasba has always been the constituency of nationalists.” (HT Photo)

The BJP has fielded Hemant Rasne from Kasba and Ashwini Jagtap from Chinchwad. The MVA, contesting as a coalition, has Congressman Ravindra Dhangekar from Kasba Peth and the NCP’s Nana Kate from Chinchwad.

Kate’s candidature led to the revolt of another aspirant, the Shiv Sena UBT’s Rahul Kalate, who decided to contest as an independent. That, and the support of the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi to Kalate, leading to a potential divide of the vote, has posed a serious challenge to the MVA. There is also the likelihood of the BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap benefiting from the sympathy wave owing to the untimely death of her husband, sitting MLA Laxman Jagtap.

The BJP too is facing multiple challenges in Kasba. “Besides the anger among Brahmins for denying candidature to a member of deceased MLA Mukta Tilak’s family, the party is battling with infighting within the party unit in the constituency,” said a local BJP leader. “The Brahman Mahasangh has also fielded its own candidate against the BJP’s Rasne. Meanwhile, the Congress’s Dhangekar, who was in the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena before defecting, has garnered support from the workers of his earlier parties as well. The resignations by 50-odd MNS workers after the party initiated action against a few party workers for working for Dhangekar is indicative.”

The BJP leader said that the three MVA constituents had put up a united show in Pune, which could play in the alliance’s favour. A Congress leader from Pune said, “Shiv Sena (UBT) workers are badly hurt after losing the party name and symbol, so there is sympathy among voters for the party. Thackeray, in his online address on Thursday, clearly directed his workers to work for the MVA candidate. All these factors will play in favour of our candidate in Kasba though the Chinchwad seat is still a tough fight for us.”

Devendra Fadnavis, in a rally on Friday, announced that the fight was between “nationalists and traitors”. “The NCP has said that it will bring Muslims not only from across the country but also from outside the country to defeat prime minister Narendra Modi and RSS,” he said. “As such, it is a fight against traitors, and Kasba has always been the constituency of nationalists.”

Social activist and political analyst Kumar Saptarshi remarked that historically whoever won the Pune Lok Sabha seat had gone on to form a government at the Centre. “Kasba Peth has been the citadel of the BJP for years, and as such it’s a prestige fight for the party,” he said. “The bypoll results in Pune will also prove to be a litmus test to judge whether the Hindutva plank is still working ahead of the general elections next year.”