Pune: BJP's Dheeraj Ghate Voices Discontent Over Hemant Rasane's Kasba Candidacy, While Brahmin Organizations Rally Behind Mahayuti

As soon as the BJP announced Hemant Rasane as its official candidate for the Kasba Assembly constituency in Pune, BJP city president Dheeraj Ghate, who was also in the race for the ticket, took to social media to express his dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, various organizations of the Brahmin community, which had sought a Brahmin candidate for Kasba, have extended their full support to Mahayuti and the BJP, even after the selection of a non-Brahmin candidate.

Taking to X, on a saffron background, he posted, "You want a Hindutvavadi government but don't want a candidate who has worked for Hindus for 30 years."

While it was said that Rasane lost in the last bypoll because the party did not give the ticket to a Brahmin candidate in Kasba, a constituency with a considerable population of the community, it was expected that the party would pick a Brahmin face this time.

However, many eyebrows were raised as the party chose Rasane, an OBC face, to fight Congress's Dhangekar, who is also from the OBC category. The community was earlier dissatisfied due to the denial of candidacy to Medha Kulkarni in Kothrud. Thus, in this poll, various organisations of the community had demanded a Brahmin candidate to avoid a repetition of the Kasba bypoll situation.

However, the organisation noted that the Brahmin community has now vowed to support the Mahayuti (grand alliance) in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election. The organisation thanked Mahayuti for giving tickets to Brahmin candidates in some other assemblies and also noted that the BJP has appointed Rajesh Pandey as General Secretary and awarded a Rajya Sabha seat to former Kothrud MLA Medha Kulkarni, extending its support.

Ghate, who comes from a family connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is one of the most prominent Hindutva leaders in Pune. Hailing from a modest background in Sane Guruji Nagar, a civic colony in Navi Peth, he has worked diligently over the years to rise to political prominence.