5 days Ago
Pune: The lanes and bylanes of Kothrud assembly constituency were all about crowd, colours, songs and slogans as poll campaign reached the crescendo with the candidates attempting to connect with maximum voters on the last Sunday before the Nov 20 battle of ballots . In the afternoon, over 500 people sporting bright saffron mufflers and carrying "Mashaal", symbol of Shiv Sena (UBT), gathered around the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue for a rally to garner votes for Chandrakant Mokate , the MVA's pick for the prestigious seat. They were accompanied by two-wheelers and auto-rickshaws, with loudspeakers fitted on them blaring "Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena", the anthem of the undivided Shiv Sena.
Actor-turned-politician Amol Kolhe was the principal attraction of the foot march that went through the lanes of Kothrud, crossing bustling market places and otherwise quiet residential areas. "Common people and farmers are suffering due to BJP's policies. The high rate of inflation is the outcome of their decisions.
BJP is a party of back-stabbers and has created rifts in parties such as NCP and Shiv Sena," said Kolhe. Chandrakant Patil, the BJP's nominee for the Nov 20 poll, opted for one-on-one meetings throughout the day. In evening, he attended a gathering at a marriage hall near Shastrinagar, organised by Mulshi village residents who make up a sizeable number of voters in Kothrud.
BJP also took out rallies in the Gosavi Vasti area of Karvenagar. The party's women workers and Ganesh Mandal representatives were part of the rally. The party tried to convince the crow that Mahayuti govt programmes were not started ahead of polls, but were meant for public interests.
"Along with rallies, our focus is on meeting people in groups and in person. We are also reaching out to RSS functionaries," said Prasanna Joshi, a BJP office bearer. According to party sources, the fight for Kothrud is a prestige battle for BJP.
Union minister from Pune Murlidhar Mohol and Rajya Sabha member Medha Kulkarni hail from this assembly constituency. BJP won two consecutive assembly polls in Kothrud - in 2014 and 2019. The undivided Shiv Sena had bagged the seat in 2009 when the assembly constituency was formed after delimitation.
Mokate represented the constituency for the first time. Kishor Shinde, the MNS candidate, also focused on door-to-door visits and personal meetings. MNS workers took out bike rallies in the morning and afternoon.
Shinde was a runner-up in 2019 and bagged around 70,000 votes in polls. He was supported by the then united NCP and Shiv Sena. "The promises our party made through the manifesto are resonating with the people and voters.
It is reflecting on the increased response to our campaigning," said Sudhir Dhawde, an MNS office bearer. Mostly dominated by urban areas like Kothrud, Baner, Balewadi, and Pashan, the constituency also has big slum pockets like Kelewadi, Kishkindhanagar, and Sutardara. "Along with development matters, issues like son of the soil will be on the voters' mind.
Many local residents will vote keeping their personal relations in mind. It may help MVA candidates," said Mahendra Kamble, who attended the Sena (UBT) rally..
