Murlidhar Mohol sought blessings from Pune's Gramdaivat, Kasba Ganpati, on Thursday before commencing his campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Mohol as its candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha seat in the forthcoming general elections, selecting him over other contenders such as the party’s former city unit chief Jagdish Mulik and RSS functionary Sunil Deodhar.
Expressing his gratitude, Mohol stated, “I started my political career in the BJP three decades ago. I was elected to the civic body and also served as the mayor of the city. Despite lacking a political background, the BJP has chosen a common party worker like me as its candidate for the Lok Sabha polls. I am confident that voters will elect me and ensure Narendra Modi's return as Prime Minister.”
At 50 years old, Mohol represents a Maratha face for the BJP. A former city mayor, he has served as a corporator in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) four times. Hailing from Mulshi, Mohol’s father migrated to the city with his family in search of job opportunities and education for his children. Mohol, a graduate, also practiced wrestling in Pune and Kolhapur. At the age of 12, he attended shakhas organised by the RSS. By 1996, he entered the political arena and became the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha chief for Pune. In 2002, Mohol contested PMC elections and became a corporator for the first time. His proximity to the late BJP leader Gopinath Munde helped him secure a nomination from Kothrud. Currently, he is known to have close ties with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Sunil Deodhar, Jagdish Mulik react
Mulik and Deodhar responded to Mohol's nomination by the saffron party. Mulick, taking to X (formerly Twitter), expressed his commitment to serving the people. "I will always be at the service of the people. I am forever grateful to see the love shown to me by the people and the workers despite not having any position. It is my responsibility to maintain the love and trust of the public with transparent, clean work which I will carry out with utmost devotion. Once again, I sincerely thank all the people and workers, officials," he added. Deodhar congratulated Mohol on his nomination, stating, "Heartiest congratulations to Murlidhar Mohol for getting Pune Lok Sabha nomination. I will continue to actively support you. #AbkiBaar400Paar."
