4 days Ago
Pune: Minutes after attending a public rally with Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy at Ghorpadi, Ramesh Bagwe is ready for another voter-outreach initiative. It's the last day of campaign and he cannot afford to waste a minute. Soon, he joins a group of enthusiastic supporters waiting on their bikes near his office on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Pune Cantonment assembly constituency.
As he appeals to voters while crossing Sarbatwala Chowk, his wife, Zainab, accompanies him in an open black SUV. An autorickshaw with a person making an announcement of his name and symbol leads the bike rally as it snakes through Chhatrapati Shivaji Market, the 139-year-old British-era structure. The former state minister and also Congress nominee aims to regain Pune Cantonment, a party stronghold between 1999 and 2014, before BJP snatched it following a Narendra Modi wave and retained it five years later.
The seat is reserved for scheduled caste candidates. "Bike rallies were planned for the whole day in different parts. However, a public meeting with Reddy was incorporated in the schedule in the morning, while another with Shiv Sena's Sushma Andhare was proposed in the evening before we signed off," says Mohsin Shaikh, a Bagwe supporter busy in preparations for the last rally at Kadbakutti Chowk in Mangalwar Peth.
BJP's Sunil Kamble, incumbent MLA, chooses an open jeep to ride through slum areas in Bhavani Peth, Nana Peth, and other key locations. His elder brother, Dilip Kamble, a former minister of state for social justice, accompanies him in the same vehicle. By the evening, Kamble's supporters, wearing BJP scarves and driving motorcycles at a roadshow, are seen encouraging people to vote for the lotus symbol.
After visiting upscale neighbourhoods, including Wanowarie, Koregaon Park and Boat Club, the rally makes its way to Motorstand Chowk in Bhavani Peth. Residents of the slum pockets of Kashewadi welcome Kamble enthusiastically, bursting firecrackers and showering him with flower petals. "People of Pune Cantonment appreciate both the senior and junior Kamble.
This is evident from their actions. We are confident of their victory, as they have a progressive vision for the constituency's development," Dilip Giramkar, a former member of the Pune Cantonment Board, says. He has always been accessible and listens to our concerns patiently, a slum dweller says and adds, "We need an MLA who can help us on the ground.
" Around 4.30 pm, the convoy reaches the busy MG Road, causing traffic congestion. Kamble, clad in a white linen shirt and trousers, is seen waving at traders and curious onlookers.
A trader, who does not wish to be named, says, "Kamble did little to resolve our issues over the past five years. The functioning of the Cantonment Board is disorganised. He could have at least tackled parking problems on MG Road.
Even the vehicles in his rally cannot be accommodated properly due to haphazard roadside parking." Kamble concludes his campaign at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Junction on Moledina Road. "Following the ideology of Dr Ambedkar, I will focus on the issues plaguing the poor people of Pune Cantonment.
I have worked for them and will continue to do so in the coming years," he says in his final speech..
