Pune: As the city prepares for the conclusion of its grand Ganesh Festival, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Thackeray faction leader Aaditya Thackeray were on a whirlwind tour of Pune on Monday (September 16), strengthening their connections with the city's Ganpati mandals and energizing party workers ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
On the penultimate day of Ganeshotsav, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis visited Pune’s five prestigious Ganpati mandals and other prominent ones.
His tour included meetings with party workers at BJP-affiliated Ganesh mandals. Among these were the Kamathipura Public Ganeshotsav Mandal and Hind Tarun Mandal in the Pune Cantonment constituency, as well as Nehru Tarun Mandal, Natubag Mandal, Sane Guru Mitra Mandal Ambil Odha, Navgraha Mitra Mandal in Kasba, Sadguru Shankar Maharaj Seva Mandal on Satara Road, Darshan Mitra Mandal at Shivdarshan Chowk, and Sahjeevan Mitra Mandal in Sahakarnagar.
He also visited Sai Public Mitra Mandal in Kothrud. These visits, particularly to mandals in key assembly constituencies, drew notable attendance from party leaders and workers, especially those preparing for the upcoming elections.
Aaditya Thackeray, meanwhile, turned his attention to the Kothrud and Hadapsar Assembly constituencies, focusing his visits on prominent Ganpati mandals in these areas.
While he did visit some mandals in central Pune, much of his tour centered on Kothrud and Hadapsar, both critical constituencies for his faction. In Kothrud, he visited Shivsamrajya Ganeshotsav Mandal in Gujarati Colony, Samast Gavkari Mandal in Kothrud Gaothan, Ekta Mitra Mandal in Erandwane, and Omkar Mitra Mandal in Paud Phata.
In Hadapsar, his visits included Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Market Mitra Mandal, Lal Bahadur Shastri Ganeshotsav Mitra Mandal, Kamdhenu Mitra Mandal, and Ekroop Mitra Mandal in Katraj Chowk.
These visits highlight both leaders’ focus on strengthening their party’s presence in key constituencies ahead of the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Party workers were encouraged by the presence of their leaders, and the visits come at a crucial time when political strategy and voter mobilization are key.