Maharashtra Politics: BJP’s Murlidhar Mohol Triumphs Over Congress’s Ravindra Dhangekar in Kasba Peth, Pune
Pune, 6th June 2024: In a surprising turn of events, BJP’s Pune Lok Sabha candidate Murlidhar Mohol secured more votes from the Kasba Peth assembly constituency than his Congress rival, Ravindra Dhangekar, despite Kasba Peth being a known stronghold of the latter. This outcome, revealed in the June 4th counting, has buoyed BJP’s hopes of regaining lost ground in the upcoming state assembly elections. However, political analysts noted that the BJP’s overall winning margin in Pune has significantly decreased in the recent general elections.
Last year, the Congress unexpectedly ousted the BJP from its stronghold during the Kasba Peth by-election. Riding on that victory, the MVA alliance fielded the by-election winner, MLA Dhangekar, against former Pune mayor Mohol for the Lok Sabha polls. Despite their efforts, they could not secure a win.
The last significant defeat for BJP in Kasba Peth was in 1991, when Congress leader Vasant Thorat defeated Girish Bapat. However, Bapat reclaimed the seat in 1995 and held it for five consecutive terms, eventually becoming Pune’s Member of Parliament. The BJP now hopes to replicate this historical comeback in the forthcoming state assembly elections, expected to be announced in the next few months.
Reflecting on the recent results, Mohol stated, “Last year’s defeat in Kasba Peth was an accident. It won’t happen again. The BJP will continue to hold onto its bastion in the next assembly and thereafter.”
Notably, the victory margin for the BJP in Pune dropped to 1,23,038 votes in the 2024 polls, compared to margins of over 3 lakh votes in previous elections. Mohol received 5,84,728 votes, while Dhangekar garnered 4,61,690 votes overall in Pune.
For 28 years, the BJP maintained its dominance in Kasba Peth. However, in March 2023, Dhangekar, backed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (comprising the Nationalist Congress Party, Congress, and Shiv Sena UBT), managed to breach the BJP’s stronghold, polling 73,194 votes against BJP’s Hemant Rasane’s 62,244 votes.
In the recent counting for the 2024 general elections, Dhangekar received 73,082 votes from Kasba Peth, while Mohol secured 87,565 votes. Interestingly, Congress’s vote count remained nearly the same as in the bypolls, but the BJP candidate improved on his party’s performance from the 2023 bypolls.
Senior Congress functionary Mohan Joshi remarked, “We managed to retain our voter base in Kasba. The party will hold its position in future assembly elections. The issues in the state assembly are different compared to general elections. A setback in Kasba during the LS polls will not hamper our future prospects.”
This election result has highlighted the shifting political dynamics in Pune, where traditional loyalties are being tested and new strategies are being formed ahead of the crucial state assembly elections.
