Maharashtra minister and BJP candidate Chandrakant Patil is locked in a three-cornered contest in Pune’s Kothrud constituency, where he faces a rival from the Shiv Sena. UBT ) and MNS challenge for a second term in the seat.
Kothrud is an upscale Brahmin-dominated suburb and one of the most popular residential areas in Pune, Maharashtra.
The constituency, which has been a BJP stronghold since 2014, has 4,36,472 voters who have expressed concerns over traffic issues and other infrastructure-related issues in the area ahead of the November 20 state elections.
From 2014 to 2019, the seat was represented by the BJP’s Medha Kulkarni, who is now a member of the Lok Sabha. In the 2019 Dtate elections, Ms. Kulkarni failed to get the accommodation ticket from Chandrakant Patil from Kolhapur.
Despite being initially criticized as an “outsider”, former BJP chief Patil later defeated Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) candidate Kishore by a margin of over 25,000 votes. Kishor Shinde, who had the support of the Congress and (then intact) the NCP.
However, this election poses a tougher challenge for Mr Patil as Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee Chandrakant Mokate, a former Shiv Sena (then unified) MLA from Kothrud until 2014, expressed confidence that people will support him , because he is a “son of the soil.”
The MNS re-nominated Mr Shinde, setting the stage for a triangular contest. talking PTIMr Mocutt claimed that there had been little progress in infrastructure development in the constituency over the past 10 years.
“There has been no significant progress on roads, interchanges, or the ongoing traffic issues. There has been no increase in the work done during my tenure as MLA until 2014,” he claimed.
“While a flyover has been constructed at Chandni Chowk (a stretch on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Expressway near Kothrud), commuters near Bushari Colony Road, just meters away from the flyover, still face challenges,” Mo said. Mr. Carter said.
He attributed the construction of the Chandni Chowk flyover to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and said that under his (Moqat) leadership, an all-party agitation was held 12 years ago demanding that the flyover be built there Build overpasses to ease traffic congestion.
Mr Moquet expressed confidence in his comeback in Kosrud. “I believe the people will unite behind me because I am a son of the soil and I have been with the people of Kothrud all these years,” he said.
MNS nominee Mr Shinde claimed that Mr Patil’s tenure was unremarkable even though he served as Pune’s guardian minister and tax minister in the previous Devendra Fadnavis-led government until 2019. minister.
“As far as Patil’s work in the constituency is concerned, it is a big zero as there has been no significant infrastructural development in the last five years,” claimed Mr Shinde, a lawyer and MNS general secretary.
Claiming that Mr Patil’s work in the constituency was minimal, Shinde added, “This election has become easy for me as an MNS candidate because I am confident that the people of Kothrud will support me.” Asked about the challenges facing Mokate, Shinde said the Sena (UBT) candidate was his political mentor in the late 1990s but became “inactive” in politics after 2014.
Concerns of the Kotruds
Sanjay Kaikade, a resident of Kothrud, said traffic issues remain a major issue for daily commuters in the area and claimed that no concrete steps have been taken to address the issue.
“While there is a metro line on Paud Road extending to Vanaz Point, the network needs to be extended further to Hinjawadi as daily commuters face huge challenges while reaching work,” he said.
BJP candidate Patil said he was confident of victory in the upcoming elections, highlighting his close relationship with the people of Kothrud.
“I have a personal connection with the people of Kosrud and I believe I will win the seat by a record margin,” he said.
In the Lok Sabha elections, BJP MP Murlidhar Mohol is leading by 74,500 votes (in the parliamentary constituency Kothrud district). “This time, my aim is to get at least one more vote (from Mohol’s vote advantage),” Mr. Patil said.
The BJP leader also dismissed concerns over his accessibility, saying: “After the 2019 elections, there were doubts about my ability to engage with the people of the constituency. But I have always been available.
Deepak Mankar, the urban unit chief of Ajit Pawar’s National Communist Party (NCP), is campaigning for Mr Patil as part of the ruling Mahayutthir alliance, He expressed confidence that the BJP leader would win with a margin of at least one lakh votes.
“The atmosphere in Kothrud and elsewhere in the city is very positive for Mahayut due to the people-centric programs and work done in the past two and a half years. In Kothrud, the lead in the Lok Sabha polls is about 75,000 votes, our aim is to extend Patil’s advantage to 100,000 votes.
Published – November 7, 2024 at 1:45 pm (IST)
