The BJP’s decision to contest both the Graduate and Teachers constituencies in the Pune division in the October 23 biennial MLC elections has upset its Mahayuti allies, with both the NCP and Shiv Sena staking claims to at least one of the two seats.
The BJP’s decision has particularly irked the NCP, which has maintained that the Graduate constituency should remain with it after the party won the seat in 2020. “Had Ajitdada been there, he would not have allowed the BJP to contest the Graduate constituency since the NCP had won it in 2020. I will do so on October 6.
NCP leaders had also indicated that Pratap Mane would be the party’s likely candidate. Our party high command is slated to meet in Mumbai soon to decide whether the party will field candidates. “Our party chief has asked me to file my nomination for the Pune Teachers constituency polls.
NCP leader and state cabinet minister Hassan Mushrif had recently said that the Pune division Graduate constituency belonged to the NCP and that the party would contest the election. But we are peeved with the BJP for deciding to contest both the seats,” Tingre said. Mangesh Chivate, who served as officer on special duty (OSD) to Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde when Shinde was chief minister, said the party leadership had asked him to contest the election. I have been preparing to contest the polls for a long time and will not back out,” Chivate said. The Sena’s Pune city president Ravindra Dhangekar said the party was prepared to contest both constituencies if the leadership gave its approval.
Jadhav, an educationist and wife of a Marathi daily’s owner, joined the BJP on Sunday evening in the presence of state BJP president Ravindra Chavan, Union minister Murlidhar Mohol, state minister Chandrakant Patil, and other senior party leaders from Pune.
