BJP has named former Mayor Murlidhar Mohol as its candidate for Lok Sabha from Pune. The potential contenders for the Pune Lok Sabha seat included Sunil Deodhar, Murlidhar Mohol, Jagdish Mulik, and Sanjay Kakade.
Although traditionally held by the Congress party, the BJP has asserted its dominance in the past two elections, securing significant victories by large margins.
During the 2019 elections, Girish Bapat, renowned as the “King of Kasba Peth,” emerged victorious in the Pune Lok Sabha constituency by defeating Congress candidate Mohan Joshi. Following the passing of MP Girish Bapat on March 29, 2023, the Lok Sabha constituency was left without a representative, as the Election Commission opted not to proceed with by-polls.
Despite its historical association with the Congress party, the BJP has asserted its dominance in the past two elections, securing significant margins of victory.
Pune Lok Sabha constituency currently comprises six Vidhan Sabha segments.
These include Vadgaon Sheri, represented by NCP's Sunil Tingre; Shivajinagar, held by BJP's Siddharth Shirole; Kothrud, where Chandrakant Patil from BJP serves as the MLA; Parvati, represented by BJP's Madhuri Misal; Pune Cantonment (SC), with BJP's Sunil Kamble as the MLA; and Kasba Peth, held by INC's Ravindra Dhangekar.
What do numbers say?
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections saw Girish Bhalchandra Bapat securing victory in Pune with 632,835 votes (61.1% vote share) from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mohan Joshi, representing the Indian National Congress, secured the second position with 308,207 votes (29.8% vote share). Anil Narayan Jadhav, of Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi, secured 6.3% of the vote share with 64,793 votes.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Anil Shirole emerged victorious in Pune with 569,825 votes (57.4% vote share) from the BJP. Dr. Vishwajeet Patangrao Kadam of the Indian National Congress secured the second position with 254,056 votes (25.6% vote share). Deepak Natharam Paigude from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena secured 9.4% vote share with 93,502 votes. Ware Subhash Shankarrao from the Aam Aadmi Party secured 2.9% vote share with 28,657 votes.
The 2004 polls saw Suresh Kalmadi securing Pune Lok Sabha constituency with 279,973 votes (38.1% vote share) from the Indian National Congress. Anil Shirole from the Bharatiya Janata Party secured the second position with 254,272 votes (34.6% vote share). Ranjeet Shrikant Shirole of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena secured 10.3% vote share with 75,930 votes. D. S. Kulkarni (D.S. Kulkarni) from the Bahujan Samaj Party secured 8.6% vote share with 62,981 votes.
The BJP has consistently increased its vote share, indicating rising popularity in Pune. Meanwhile, the INC has maintained a varying vote share, facing challenges in keeping pace with the BJP's dominance. Pune's electorate displays a preference for the BJP, signaling a shift in political dynamics.
