Cong breaches BJP’s Kasba Peth bastion; BJP retains Chinchwad

Ravindra Dhangekar, the Congress nominee backed by MVA, emerged victorious against BJP’s Hemant Rasane in the Kasba Peth assembly constituency. In Chinchwad, BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap garnered 135,434 votes while NCP’s Nana Kate received 99,343 votes, resulting in her victory

Pune: Ravindra Dhangekar, the Congress nominee backed by Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), emerged victorious against Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Hemant Rasane in the Kasba Peth assembly constituency where bypolls were necessitated due to the demise of BJP legislator Mukta Tilak.

Ravindra Dhangekar (in pic), the Congress nominee backed by MVA, emerged victorious against BJP’s Hemant Rasane in the Kasba Peth assembly constituency. In Chinchwad, BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap garnered 135,434 votes while NCP’s Nana Kate received 99,343 votes, resulting in her victory. (HT)

With the victory, the Congress has managed to breach the BJP’s stronghold on central parts of Pune for around three decades where it has emerged victorious in assembly and local body polls.

Dhangekar was polled over 72,000 votes and managed to win by a margin of 11,000 votes against Rasane who managed to garner 61,000 votes.

In the Chinchwad assembly constituency, BJP’s Ashwini Jagtap garnered 135,434 votes while her nearest rival candidate from NCP Nana Kate received 99,343 votes, resulting in her victory.

The bypolls in Chinchwad were necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA Laxman Jagtap. For his wife, the entry of rebel candidate Rahul Kalate made the victory easier. Another factor that worked in Ashwini’s favour was sympathy and strong network of BJP workers along with large young voter base employed in IT sector who preferred the BJP. Ashwini said, “I dedicate the win to my late husband whose dream I will now fulfil.”

This was the first bypoll fought fiercely after the political turmoil in the state when Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde formed the government with the BJP and was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra in June last year. There was bypoll at Andheri although the BJP’s withdrawal from the contest made it a one-sided fight.

The bypolls had put the prestige of BJP-Sena and MVA at stake as both sides fought the elections fiercely. The loss in Kasba Peth however has dealt a setback to senior BJP leaders such as Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrakant Patil, while it may also cause some unease among legislators of Shiv Sena as they have to face emboldened MVA in the 2024 polls.

Since 1975, the Congress had won the Kasba Peth seat only twice. From 1995, the BJP had retained the seat for consecutive terms till the bypolls saw Congress candidate defeating Rasane.