6 days Ago
Pune: Hotel rooms in Kolhapur, Solapur, Nashik, Satara and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar are hard to find over the weekend and into the next week. Hotel owners said most rooms were booked by political parties hence visitors to these cities for vacation or work cannot easily get rooms. The state goes to the polls on Wednesday.
Ujjwal Nageshkar, president of Kolhapur Hotel Owners' Association, told TOI that most hotels were full as political parties want the rooms for their leaders, observers and workers. "Due to the model code of conduct, candidates cannot book govt guest houses or circuit houses, so they prefer hotels," he added. Political parties have appointed private agencies from Pune and Mumbai for election management.
"Parties have booked hotels through these agencies," Nageshkar added. He said that eateries in Kolhapur were busy too. "Parties arrange food for workers after the rally ends at 10 pm.
We have to down shutters by 11pm but we cater to the crowd within the time limit," Nageshkar added. A similar situation prevailed in Sangli and Satara which have fewer hotels than Kolhapur. Sameer Shukla of Kothrud, who wanted to take his family to Satara on Saturday and Sunday, did not get rooms.
"They are available in hotels along the highway, but they are not suitable for families," Shukla said. Mukund Kulkarni from a city-based publishing house told TOI that on Saturday and Sunday, he and his associates planned a visit to Solapur to see how senior leader and former MLA Narsayya Adam of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was faring in his contest for Solapur City (Central) constituency. "We contacted at least 25 hotels in Solapur since Wednesday.
But all were full as political parties have already booked them for their rallies on the weekends during the last phase of campaigning," he said. Kulkarni added that devotees visiting Akkalkot and Tuljapur had also taken up rooms. "We had to cancel our overnight stay in Solapur," he added.
In Nashik, Saiprasad Deshpande, member of Association of Hotel and Restaurant Owners, said, "All our 60 rooms have been booked since last month up to the next weekend. Most suites were booked first and later, the rest. We recommended some bookings to our partner hotels which filled up too.
" Aurangabad's popular Central Park Hotel also reported 85% bookings till Thursday. Its executive manager Samir Agarwal said, "The weekend was fully booked, and some rooms that are vacant over the next week. will fill up too.
Party workers and leaders are staying in them." Pankaj Vedprakash of Raj Inn in Aurangabad said, "It is the same situation as it was six months ago. We cannot increase the rooms, but our restaurant is well prepared to cater to guests.
The conference rooms are also booked by political parties." Satara's Hotel Aishwarya reported 80% bookings till Monday. General manager Sagar Pathak said, "We have 70 rooms and a dormitory.
The bookings have been good because of the election. It is a good time for many other hotels.".
