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Maharashtra polls: Battle lines almost clear in Pune as parties declare 2nd list
While Shivajinagar, Kothrud, and Pune Cantonment await final clarity, candidates have been confirmed for the remaining seats, with many familiar faces re-entering the fray. In most constituencies, the lineup remains similar to the previous assembly elections
With the latest candidate announcements from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), battle lines are almost drawn for five of the eight assembly seats in Pune.
While Shivajinagar, Kothrud, and Pune Cantonment await final clarity, candidates have been confirmed for the remaining seats, with many familiar faces re-entering the fray. In most constituencies, the lineup remains similar to the previous assembly elections.
In the latest lists, the BJP has declared Hemant Rasne for the Kasba Peth assembly constituency, Bhimrao Tapkir for Khadakwasla, and Sunil Kamble for Pune Cantonment. Rasne had lost the 2023 assembly by-poll against Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar, who will once again be in the fray.
Commenting about the development, BJP leader and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol said, “Now that the seat sharing is finalized, and the picture is clearer, we will retain all our seats in Pune and Western Maharashtra, and win even more seats.”
The NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar has fielded its former corporator Ashwini Kadam for the Parvati seat from where Congress candidate Aba Bagul has already submitted nomination as an independent. At the same time party has nominated former wrestler Sachin Dodke for the Khadakwasla assembly seat.
About the seat-sharing, NCP (SP) leader Prashant Jagtap said, “We would make victory in the assembly election. This time our fight is with our own colleagues as well as traditional oppositions. We are sure that like Lok Sabha, we would register a win in assembly elections, and form next government.”
New faces have emerged only in the Hadapsar and Wadgaonsheri constituencies, a result of the NCP’s split and the presence of sitting MLAs in these areas. Most parties have opted to back incumbents rather than introduce fresh candidates, with all eight sitting MLAs in Pune set to contest once again.
BJP leader and Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, expressed confidence in the alliance’s prospects: “Not only in Pune city but across Western Maharashtra, our Maha Yuti will hold all existing seats and aim to secure even more than in the last election.”
Reports indicate the BJP delayed decisions on tickets for Cantonment and Khadakwasla, as internal surveys raised concerns about the performance of sitting MLAs Kamble and Tapkir.
