Can the BJP make it once again in Pune?

If the Modi wave had worked in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Anil Shirole was one the political gainers. Shirole won the Pune seat by a whopping margin of 3.15 lakh votes, wresting a constituency that was traditionally the Congress stronghold. In 2019, Girish Bapat while banking on the feats of the then BJP-ruled state and central governments, upped the performance and retained the seat for BJP by a difference of 3.24 lakh votes.

Five years down the line, when the Pune Lok Sabha seat is going to polls on May 13, the BJP still appears aggressive while the Congress, despite the hard-earned victory in Kasba Peth bypolls, is looking for a winning formula.

With the metro rail work, river rejuvenation and development, Chandani Chowk multi-level flyover and other infrastructure works, the BJP hopes that the party will be able to retain the seat, considered to be crucial for the organisation as Pune is the second-most important city in the state after Mumbai in terms of generating employment. However, the delay in projects like metro rail and no progress on new airport have left residents unhappy.

Taking a lead in the campaign, the BJP has already announced Murlidhar Mohol as its nominee for Pune LS seat while the Congress is deliberating a few names with Ravindra Dhangekar and Arvind Shinde being the front-runners for party ticket.

The weakening of Congress and absence of any tall leader in the opposition camp are some of the plus points for the BJP as it plans to contest polls on various projects it has undertaken. However, after the Kasba Peth bypoll outcome, many in the Congress feel that defeating the saffron party is possible provided they fight the polls united.

From Vitthalrao Gadgil to Suresh Kalamadi, Pune was once a bastion for the Congress. Expulsion of Kalmadi, a three-time MP, from the party and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) making inroads in suburban areas, made the former relatively weak.

This time, the Congress leaders hope they will put up a strong fight in Pune, mostly an urban constituency with a mix of Marathi and cosmopolitan population.

“We are confident of winning the polls and there is a logic behind it. In the past 10 years, BJP MPs have not done anything; while in the last five years, no single big project was introduced in Pune. This was reflected in Kasba Peth bypoll, a strong bastion of BJP for 30 years as we won here,” said Mohan Joshi, Congress leader and one of the aspirants from the party.

The Congress will be contesting the polls in alliance with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SCP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) while the BJP has allied with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP under Ajit Pawar.

Citizens too have voiced their opinions on how much Pune has progressed in the past five years.

“The BJP government announced projects like metro rail some eight-nine years ago and it is still incomplete. What happened to Purandar airport is not known while traffic situation in the city has worsened. The overall standard of life over the years have deteriorated,” said Sandesh Pawar, a banker.

Swara Deshpande, a college-going student from Kothrud, said, “Under the BJP, the country’s economy has grown. At the local level too, many things have changed with new flyovers and metro lines developed. It will take some time for these projects to complete.”

The BJP leaders said that its previous elected representatives have worked hard although there is always a scope for improvement. “With our past record which has seen many new projects in Pune, I am confident of winning the polls. We are going in the election with all our workers on ground,” said BJP nominee Murlidhar Mohol.