Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol on Thursday expressed confidence that the next Mayor of Pune will again be from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), citing extensive development work carried out in the city through the Centre and the state government.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Pune City BJP Media Centre at Bharat Bhavan on Bajirao Road, Mohol said, "Pune has witnessed significant infrastructure growth, including Metro expansion, strengthening of public transport through additional electric buses, 24x7 water supply projects, establishment of a medical college, approval for third and fourth railway lines between Pune and Lonavala, a new terminal at the Pune airport, Chandani Chowk flyover expansion, and several other infrastructure initiatives."
“Punekars always support positive thinking and development-oriented work. In the upcoming municipal elections, citizens will stand with the alliance. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, strong development work is underway in Pune and across the state,” Mohol said.
The BJP Media Centre was inaugurated by Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol, State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, and Maharashtra BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye. Former minister Dilip Kamble, BJP state general secretary Rajesh Pandey, MLA Yogesh Tilekar, former MLA Jagdish Mulik, BJP spokesperson Sandeep Khardekar, West Maharashtra media head Amol Kavitkar, Sanjay Mayekar, and Pushkar Tuljapurkar were also present.
Media centre for election outreach
Mohol said the media centre has been set up in view of the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation elections. “For the next 15 days, the party will officially share information with the media through this centre,” he said.
He confirmed that the BJP, Shiv Sena and RPI are contesting the elections as an alliance. Mohol noted that while seat-sharing discussions are ongoing, the BJP has already allotted candidatures beyond the minimum agreed number in the spirit of alliance cooperation. He added that the party has given tickets to 92 women candidates, exceeding the mandatory 50 per cent reservation of 83 seats, thereby giving greater priority to women.
‘Ready to give Shiv Sena 16 seats’
Addressing alliance negotiations, Mohol said the BJP had 105 corporators in the previous term, yet remained open to forming an alliance. “Despite having fewer seats, Shiv Sena demanded more than the agreed number. We are making sincere efforts to maintain the alliance in both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad,” he said.
He added that differences over seat allocation have now been referred to senior leadership and will be resolved under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. “We were ready to give Shiv Sena 16 seats. If there are issues regarding some seats, a final decision will be taken at the senior level. We have allotted eight seats to RPI,” Mohol said, while questioning why Shiv Sena had issued a large number of AB forms.
‘No place for criminals in politics’
Commenting on allegations that some parties have given tickets to individuals with criminal backgrounds or their family members, Mohol said the BJP does not support such practices. “We are not in favour of giving tickets to criminals. Pune’s voters are watching carefully who has been given candidacies. The answer will come through the ballot box,” he said.
Referring to Ward No. 38, Mohol stated that Pratibha Chorghade has been involved in social work for many years and that he was not aware of any criminal background related to her family. “Those who talk about eliminating crime in the city should first explain their own candidate lists. Criminals should have no place in politics,” he asserted.
Mohol concluded by reiterating that the BJP is contesting the municipal elections on the basis of development and governance, expressing confidence that voters will once again place their trust in the party.
