The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) scored a hat-trick in the Pune Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday as its candidate Murlidhar Mohol defeated Congress nominee Ravindra Dhangekar by 1,23,038 votes. Mohol, a former Pune mayor, secured 5,84,728 votes while Dhangekar, who is an MLA from the Kasba Peth Assembly segment, got 4,61,690. Interestingly, Dhangekar failed to secure a majority in his own Assembly seat.
The Pune Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Assembly segments: Vadgaon Sheri, Shivajinagar, Kothrud, Parvati, Pune Cantonment, and Kasba Peth. In each of the six Assembly segments, Dhangekar remained behind Mohol, ultimately resulting in his defeat. Mohol secured 1,19,738 votes in Vadgaon Sheri, surpassing Dhangekar's 1,04,753 votes. In Shivajinagar, Mohol received 68,152 votes, while Dhangekar garnered 64,815. Moving to Kothrud, Mohol obtained 1,41,928 votes compared to Dhangekar's 67,671. Similarly, in Parvati, Mohol's tally stood at 1,03,542 votes, outshining Dhangekar's 74,545 votes. Transitioning to Pune Cantonment, Mohol secured 63,246 votes, ahead of Dhangekar's 76,543 votes. In Kasba Peth, where Dhangekar is the MLA, Mohol garnered 87,565 votes, while the former fell slightly short with 73,082 votes.
Speaking after his victory, Mohol said, “The citizens of Pune have shown confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and have given me a chance to serve them. This victory belongs to the party workers.”
Meanwhile, the reduced victory margin would surely have dampened the spirits of the BJP supporters. In 2019, Congress leader Mohan Joshi faced defeat at the hands of BJP's Girish Bapat by over 3 lakh votes. In 2014, BJP's Anil Shirole won against Vishwajeet Kadam of the Congress also by over 3 lakh votes. In 2004 and 2009, Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi bagged the Pune seat.
Dhangekar, meanwhile, thanked the Pune voters who backed him in his fight "to strengthen Indian democracy and defend the Constitution". He also expressed his gratitude to senior functionaries of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), as well as his well-wishers, friends, family, and colleagues who directly or indirectly supported him.
| Assembly Segment | Murlidhar Mohol Votes | Ravindra Dhangekar Votes |
| Vadgaon Sheri | 1,19,738 | 1,04,753 |
| Shivajinagar | 68,152 | 64,815 |
| Kothrud | 1,41,928 | 67,671 |
| Parvati | 1,03,542 | 74,545 |
| Pune Cantonment | 63,246 | 76,543 |
| Kasba Peth | 87,565 | 73,082 |
| Total | 5,84,728 | 4,61,690 |
