Murlidhar Mohol, Pankaja Munde assigned to oversee six assembly constituencies in Pune

Mohol is in charge of Kasba, Parvati and Pune Cantonment constituencies while Munde is responsible for Shivajinagar, Vadgaon Sheri and Kothrud constituencies

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun preparations for the upcoming assembly elections and union minister Murlidhar Mohol and member of legislative council (MLC) Pankaja Munde have been designated to oversee six assembly constituencies in the Pune Lok Sabha (LS) constituency.

During these meetings, the two leaders will review the BJP’s booth-level performance, voting patterns, and identify areas where the party lagged in the LS elections. (HT PHOTO)

Mohol is in charge of Kasba, Parvati and Pune Cantonment constituencies while Munde is responsible for Shivajinagar, Vadgaon Sheri and Kothrud constituencies. Mohol has already held meetings for the Kasba and Parvati constituencies, while Munde’s meetings are scheduled for the coming days.

During these meetings, the two leaders will review the BJP’s booth-level performance, voting patterns, and identify areas where the party lagged in the LS elections. The feedback from local officials will be compiled into a report for the state BJP which will then be used to plan the assembly election strategy.

Dheeraj Ghate, president of the BJP city unit, said, “Maharashtra Pradesh has given the responsibility to Mohol and Munde of the Pune LS constituency which includes Kasba, Parvati, Pune Cantonment, Vadgaon Sheri, Kothrud and Shivajinagar. The remaining two state assembly constituencies of Hadapsar and Khadakwasla are part of Pune Rural. No decisions have been taken about these two constituencies.”

“Mohol has already started conducting meetings with officials from the Kasba and Parvati constituencies. Munde will conduct meetings soon in Shivajinagar, Vadgaon Sheri and Kothrud constituencies,” Ghate said.

In the recent LS elections, the BJP suffered significant losses in the state with the number of members of Parliament (MPs) dropping from 23 to nine. Many BJP MLAs are concerned because Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidates secured strong majorities in several assembly constituencies. Union home minister Amit Shah has said that the BJP aims to form a grand coalition government in the state after the assembly elections. To achieve this, the maximum number of elected MLAs must be from the party.

Munde being given the charge of three constituencies in Pune including Vadgaon Sheri will help former MLA Jagdish Mulik. The current MLA from Vadgaon Sheri is Sunil Tingre of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The ruling coalition - led by chief minister Eknath Shinde; with deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar – will contest the assembly elections as a coalition. The party with the sitting MLA is expected to retain the seat, giving Tingre a potential advantage. Whereas Mulik is lobbying for a ticket from Vadgaon Sheri and has a close relationship with Fadnavis. Despite having lost the assembly elections five years ago, Mulik remains hopeful especially with Munde now in charge of Vadgaon Sheri among others.

Tingre has been in the spotlight for a car accident involving the police which has led to dissatisfaction among some constituents, possibly weakening his position in the upcoming elections. Mulik is capitalising on this, aiming to secure the Vadgaon Sheri seat for the BJP. The allocation of this seat within the ruling coalition remains under discussion but with Munde overseeing it, the constituency has become a significant focus for the BJP.