Pune: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) maintains power across various levels, from the Pune Municipal Corporation to the national level in Delhi.
With a strong lineup of influential leaders at its disposal, BJP poses a challenge to its opposition, questioning their ability to disrupt its stronghold. Despite their confidence, senior party leaders remain cautious to avoid any overconfidence.
The Kothrud constituency encompasses areas such as Kothrud, Karvenagar, Warje, Baner, Balewadi, and Pashan. The Maratha population is significant here, alongside other communities like the Brahmins and OBCs.
The dynamics of Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil's movement, the stance of OBC voters, the united front of opposition parties, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) could all influence voter outcomes.
Dissatisfaction among the Republican Party of India (RPI) workers, who were not included in seat allocation, could also impact the election results. Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) voters, constituting about eight percent of the electorate, could play a crucial role in the election.
In 2014, BJP’s Medha Kulkarni ended Shiv Sena’s dominance in the area by defeating Chandrakant Mokate with a margin of 65,000 votes.
In the 2019 election, BJP’s Chandrakant Patil won with 105,246 votes against MNS’s Kishor Shinde, who secured 79,751 votes. Kothrud remains a key BJP stronghold and is considered one of the safest seats for the party.
While Chandrakant Patil is expected to be the BJP candidate again, other party members like city improvement committee chairman and former corporator Amol Balwadkar, along with Shyam Deshpande, have shown interest in contesting.
Patil has been actively engaging with voters through various programs, while Balwadkar has been organizing competing events. The question remains whether such efforts will suffice to challenge Patil’s candidacy.
Vijay Dakle from the Ajit Pawar faction has announced his candidacy, suggesting that the dissatisfaction among the RPI community could work in his favor.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena has laid its claim to the constituency, with former MLA Chandrakant Mokate and party leader Prithviraj Sutar meeting with voters. Congress’s Ramchandra Kadam, NCP’s Shankar Khemse and Deepak Mankar, MNS’s Kishor Shinde, and AAP’s Dr. Abhijit More are other candidates vying for the seat.
The Congress and NCP lack strong candidates in this constituency. During the previous Congress-NCP alliance, the seat was given to MNS, but the party failed to secure a win.
In the 2019 elections, Kothrud had 403,557 eligible voters, including 210,740 men, 192,812 women, and 5 third-gender voters. SC and ST voters accounted for 6.45 percent and 1.17 percent, respectively. The constituency has a literacy rate of 86.15 percent.
