Pune is one of the keenly watched Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) website, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Murlidhar Mohol is leading by 36,636 votes over Congress nominee Ravindra Dhangekar as per the 1pm update. Currently, Mohol has 1,88,582 votes while Dhangekar has 1,51,946. Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi's (VBA) Vasant More is in third place with 15,248 votes.
Constituency at glance
Since 1952, a Congress fortress 10 times, the Pune Lok Sabha seat had deserted the party on at least 7 occasions, aligning with some prevalent political 'wave' or a prominent candidate.
The city has sent four union ministers from here - NV Gadgil, Mohan Dharia, VN Gadgil, Suresh Kalmadi, besides a High Commissioner to the UK, NG Goray.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP's Anil Shirole won the seat from the two-time Congress MP Kalmadi who came under a cloud of corruption, and in 2019, Bapat defeated Congress rival Mohan Joshi.
Who Is Ravindra Dhangekar?
Dhangekar gained prominence in 2022 when he achieved an unexpected victory in the Kasba Peth bypolls, a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A former Shiv Sena member, Dhangekar entered politics under the influence of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray's inspiring speeches. He was a devoted follower of Raj Thackeray during his tenure with the Sena and later joined him in the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Dhangekar contested civic elections for the first time in 1997 and emerged victorious. Subsequently, he served as a corporator five times until 2022.
Who is Murlidhar Mohol?
Mohol, a former Pune Mayor, served as the saffron party's election in-charge for the Pune Lok Sabha seat.
In recent times, he has actively fostered community ties by organising diverse cultural and sports events. These initiatives include arranging events like the ‘Maharashtra Kesari’ and orchestrating large-scale blood donation drives, among others.
Mohol's close association with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule likely played a role in the decision to nominate him.
