Ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly polls, The Free Press Journal is doing extensive ground coverage of all eight constituencies in Pune City. Speaking to this newspaper, residents of the Pune Cantonment Assembly constituency have voiced their frustration over several unaddressed issues that have continued to plague their area for many years. From severe traffic congestion and illegal encroachments to garbage pile-ups and water shortages, people across the constituency are expressing a collective need for stronger leadership and genuine change. Local shopkeepers, activists and citizens are calling on candidates to prioritise these urgent challenges, with many stating that their votes will depend on each candidate's track record and promises for the future.
Darshan Desai, a data analyst, said, "The main issue in Cantonment is traffic management. Vehicles being parked haphazardly cause severe traffic jams on multiple roads. The second issue is the encroachment of roads. Hawkers have put up unauthorised stalls on the road, posing a threat to everyone's lives. We will vote after reviewing the candidate's previous history and their promises."
Raj Singh, an activist, stated, "Fashion Street was created to make Mahatma Gandhi Road a hawker-free zone. But despite multiple complaints, local politicians and authorities never implemented the rules. Politicians act like local goons. Due to the lack of capable candidates, I will not vote this time. In the earlier election, I conducted a sting operation where I caught politicians distributing ₹10,000 for a single vote."
Radha Chandrakant Sathe, a fruit seller, alleged, "The MLA should visit the vegetable market once. He will become aware of our problems. Due to illegal fruit and vegetable shops on the roads, customers don't enter the market, and we suffer losses."
Arvind Budhane, a shopkeeper, said, "Things have improved compared to the earlier time. The different schemes run by the government are beneficial for women in the slum area."
Raju Heera, also a shopkeeper, said, "Due to encroachment and hawkers, senior citizens cannot enter our shop. The increasing number of beggars is another menace."
Sanju Heera, who runs a studio, expressed, "I hope the elected candidate will be good and will resolve the problems in our area. Illegal hawkers and garbage collection are important issues on MG Road. The garbage is not picked up regularly; due to accumulation, the drainage lines get choked, causing waterlogging. During the rainy season, water comes up to our shop door. It's a persistent issue, but no one has taken action against it. Politicians are definitely helping the hawkers keep their shops illegally on the roads."
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a resident of Modi Khana, near Azam Campus, said, "We are suffering from water shortage. No one from the authorities visits our place. We need only water, nothing else."
Who is contesting in Pune Cantonment?
Congress has fielded party loyalist and former minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe from the Pune Cantonment Assembly seat. He will face sitting MLA Sunil Kamble of the BJP. Pune Cantonment has been considered favourable to Congress for several decades. Bagwe was elected in 2004 and 2009. In 2014, the BJP changed the trend, defeating Bagwe first with Dilip Kamble and later with his brother Sunil Kamble in 2019.
Speaking to this newspaper, Ramesh Bagwe said, "For the last ten years, BJP MLAs, corporators and ministers have been ruling this constituency, yet voters are suffering from a lack of basic facilities like water, good roads and infrastructure. Even now, housing societies are forced to rely on private water tankers. The traffic situation is so horrible that everyone, from common citizens to doctors and engineers, is left to suffer. Another issue is the limited availability of beds in government hospitals." "Pune city was known for education, but now it has been converted into a crime hotspot. Inflation is at its peak. BJP leaders don't know how to run a government. That is why people need change this time," he added.
