The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Murlidhar Mohol as its candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday.
Mohol, a former Pune Mayor, served as the saffron party's election in-charge for the Pune Lok Sabha seat.
In recent times, he has actively fostered community ties by organising diverse cultural and sports events. These initiatives include arranging events like the ‘Maharashtra Kesari’ and orchestrating large-scale blood donation drives, among others.
Mohol's close association with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule likely played a role in the decision to nominate him.
Other names considered during the lead-up to the announcement were former Vadgaon Sheri MLA Jagdish Mulik, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary Sunil Deodhar, and former Rajya Sabha MP and real estate developer Sanjay Kakade.
The previous two Pune MPs, Anil Shirole and Girish Bapat, both of whom belonged to the BJP and secured victories by a significant margin.
Meanwhile, attention now turns to the Congress camp to see who will contest from their side. Senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi and Kasba MLA Ravindra Dhangekar are among the frontrunners for consideration.
Posters against Mohol
Internal rivalry within the city unit of BJP recently surfaced when anonymous posters targeting Mohol appeared in various parts of the city.
The posters, bearing BJP's symbol, conveyed a message attributed to "hardworking BJP workers," without specifying individuals.
The message on the posters expressed discontent: "You have held positions such as standing committee chairman, mayor of Pune, general secretary (of state BJP), and now you aspire to become a Member of Parliament. This is too much; you will surely face defeat."
