Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Pune Lok Sabha constituency, Murlidhar Mohol, filed his nomination papers on Thursday after taking out a rally in a show of strength.
The rally commenced at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak in Kothrud and concluded at the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Smarak in Deccan.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister and RPI (A) President Ramdas Athawale, Maharashtra Higher & Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant, and many other Mahayuti leaders attended the rally and greeted the enormous crowd that had gathered in support of Mohol.
After the conclusion of the rally, Mohol, a former Pune city mayor, filed his nomination papers at the election office at the district collectorate. He was accompanied by veteran BJP leader Prakash Javadekar, NCP (Ajit Pawar) Pune President Deepak Mankar, Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe, and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni.
However, Mohol's massive rally has drawn criticism from several Punekars. Firstly, commuters in areas like Kothrud, Karve Road, and Law College Road faced traffic disruptions in the scorching heat. Secondly, participants in the rally left behind a stinking mess on the city roads. Empty water bottles and juice cans were seen strewn across the roads at several places, along with discarded food items, as no dustbins were arranged.
"We have no issues with political parties and politicians organising massive rallies, but they should ensure that the normal people aren't disturbed, and the city remains clean," said Parag Patil, a commuter.
"Not just political rallies, but roads become a mess after every rally. This becomes a huge problem for people like us," added Snehal Sawant, another commuter.
