While almost all major parties have announced their candidates, the picture in Pune's Khadakwasla assembly constituency is now clear. On Saturday, NCP (SP) named Sachin Dodke as its candidate, and the BJP also named incumbent MLA Bhimrao Tapkir as its candidate. It is now evident that the fight in this assembly will be triangular with these three major candidates.
In the last election, the NCP narrowly lost the Khadakwasla seat by just 2,000 votes. This time, the party is optimistic about closing the gap and securing the seat. In the recent Lok Sabha election, the NCP (SP) trailed in the Khadakwasla assembly segment.
Who are three big candidates?
Sachin Dodke is a former corporator from the area and a staunch supporter of Supriya Sule and Sharad Pawar. He has been meeting residents in the area ahead of the polls.
Meanwhile, BJP's Bhimrao Tapkir is the current MLA. He began his career in the 2001 local body elections of Pune Municipal Corporation and is a three-time MLA from the seat. In the first bypoll, he defeated the late MLA Ramesh Wanjale's wife, and then he defeated Dilip Barate and Sachin Dodke in 2014 and 2019, respectively.
In 2019, Bhimrao Tapkir (BJP) received 120,518 votes, while Sachin Dodke (NCP) received 117,923 votes, losing by a small margin of 2,595 votes.
Mayuresh Wanjale from MNS
Mayuresh Wanjale, son of MNS's late Khadakwasla MLA Ramesh Wanjale, has been declared the official candidate by MNS for the Khadakwasla Assembly Constituency.
He has been preparing to contest the upcoming assembly elections from the Khadakwasla constituency and is actively campaigning for this purpose.
His father, Ramesh Wanjale, was elected from the Khadakwasla constituency in the 2009 Assembly elections. He was the first legislator of the Raj Thackeray-led party to be elected from Pune city.
A popular figure among party workers, Wanjale was known for his penchant for wearing gold ornaments, which earned him the nickname "Gold Man" in political circles. He died due to a massive heart attack in 2011.
His wife, Harshada Wanjale, contested from the NCP in the bypoll. However, in a major setback to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, BJP candidate Bhimrao Tapkir won the Khadakwasla assembly bypoll in Pune district, defeating NCP candidate Harshada Wanjale. Ajit Pawar was instrumental in bringing Harshada Wanjale into the NCP fold a day before the bypoll. Tapkir won by a margin of 3,625 votes.
