Exclusive: Mohan Joshi Explains Why Congress Chose Ravindra Dhangekar As Its Candidate For Pune Lok Sabha Seat

Putting speculations to rest, the Congress on Thursday declared Ravindra Dhangekar as its candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha seat. Dhangekar, who defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its bastion of Kasba Peth in the bypolls last year, will lock horns with saffron party leader and former city mayor Murlidhar Mohol.

Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Maharashtra Congress Vice-President Mohan Joshi, who was one of the aspirants to contest from Pune, said he recommended Dhangekar's name to the party leadership. "There were several aspirants to contest from Pune but it came down to two names - Dhangekar and I. I thought if the BJP had to be defeated, then we will have to do something different and hence, I decided to take a back seat and suggested to the leadership to give candidature to Dhangekar."

"The BJP had already announced Murlidhar Mohol, a Maratha face, so it was important for us to give the ticket to Dhangekar, an OBC candidate. If the saffron party had given candidature to Sunil Deodhar, a Brahmin, then we would probably have taken a different decision," added the former MLA.

Taking potshots at the BJP, Joshi said the party is "very nervous" and that is why it is making more alliances. He was referring to the reports of Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) joining the Mahayuti and contesting a couple of seats in the state. He stated that even if MNS joins the ruling alliance it won't have any impact on the voters in Pune.

The senior Congress leader further said the grand old party is "100 per cent" confident of its victory in the city, which has seen the BJP winning back-to-back in 2014 and 2019.