Pune Lok Sabha Seat: Congress to Announce Candidate On Feb 15 – Mohan Joshi, Ravindra Dhangekar, Or Someone Else?

The process of selecting a candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha seat is underway, and names have been submitted for consideration. According to Congress state president Nana Patole, a national and state-level survey has commenced to evaluate these names. The entire process is expected to conclude by February 15, following which the official candidate will be announced.

Nana Patole shared these updates with the media before the Congress meeting for West Maharashtra, where discussions about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections took place.

20 candidates submit applications

Twenty Congress candidates have put forth their names for the Pune Lok Sabha seat. Among them, Ravindra Dhangekar, the current MLA of Kasba Assembly Constituency, recently held discussions with party leaders in Delhi. When the media asked about Dhangekar's potential candidacy for the Lok Sabha, Patole mentioned an ongoing survey within the party to finalize candidate names. The survey is being conducted at both the national and state levels and is scheduled to conclude by February 15. The announcement of the chosen candidate will follow the completion of this process.

Earlier, while speaking with the FPJ, the Congress leader has already expressed his willingness to contest the Pune Lok Sabha election.

During the interaction, Patole criticized the government's handling of the Maratha community reservation issue. Manoj Jarange Patil has initiated a movement advocating for the Maratha community reservation. Patole expressed concern, stating that the government's failure to address this issue is a sin. When Devendra Fadnavis was in the opposition party, he claimed that the state government had the authority to grant reservations. Now, with the BJP in power, what is the problem? If Jarange Patil's agitation reaches Mumbai, people could face traffic problems, emphasizing the urgent need for the government to address this matter.

Patole accused the government of attempting to create controversy between the Maratha and OBC communities. Despite having a majority, the government has been unable to resolve the reservation issue, according to Patole.