Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), announced that his party will contest the Lok Sabha elections in Pune and declared Anis Sundke as the candidate.
Sundke, formerly associated with the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), was recently seen campaigning for Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, the party's candidate from the Shirur Lok Sabha constituency.
A former Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) corporator and standing committee chairman, Sundke hails from the Kondhwa area in Pune. His wife, Hamida Sundke, is also a former corporator.
Talking about his candidacy, Sundke stated, "I have been working in Pune for the last 25 years. Hence, I am fully committed to contesting this election. Pune faces numerous pending issues, and I aim to address them promptly. Having fostered good relations across various castes and religions, I have actively worked to resolve many of Pune's challenges."
The addition of Sundke to the Pune Lok Sabha race has now made it a four-cornered contest. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated former Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol, while Kasba MLA Ravindra Dhangekar is contesting on the Congress ticket, and former Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) corporator Vasant More is the nominee for the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).
Analysts speculate that while Sundke may not draw significant votes, he is likely to attract Muslim votes that might have otherwise gone to the Congress candidate.
