Trouble in Pune seat, Kakade challenges ticket for Mohol

Pune: Senior Mahayuti leaders, after a series of meetings, managed to rein in Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare, but now former Rajya Sabha member and BJP leader from Pune has demanded that the BJP revoke Murlidhar Mohol’s candidature from the Pune seat. Earlier, the Shiv Sena and the NCP were finding it hard to convince their own leaders to patch up with the alliance partners, but with Sanjay Kakade’s challenge to Mohol, the BJP will have to get into a firefighting mode for the Pune seat. All the senior Mahayuti leaders, including chief minister Eknath Shinde and both deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar together, met Shivtare in Mumbai to convince him to withdraw his candidature from Baramati which may pose difficulties for Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra, the most probable candidate in Baramati against MP Supriya Sule. After the meeting, Shivtare posed for a photo with Pawar along with Shinde and Fadnavis, indicating that he had agreed to withdraw his candidature. So far, he has not made an official statement. Within 24 hours of this meeting, BJP leader Kakade announced that he will meet Fadnavis to demand that Mohol’s candidature be revoked and the ticket be given to him for Pune seat. Mohol, a former mayor, has already started his campaign, holding meetings with party workers and social groups. Kakade has kept himself away from joining Mohol’s election work.He will face Congressman Ravindra Dhangekar who won the Kasba Peth bypoll last year defeating his BJP opponent. On Wednesday, Kakade met BJP leader Ravindra Chavan to express his displeasure. “I told Chavan about my feelings and explained to him what I have done for the party in the city in the last 10 years. I also conveyed to him the status of Pune constituency based on the outcome of the surveys conducted here ahead of LS polls,” Kakade said.He said he was not against Mohol. Kakade said, “Mohol is my good friend. I am fighting for myself based on the work that I have been doing for the party and for the city. I am hoping for a nomination and expect that the party leaders will make an appropriate decision for the Pune seat,” Kakade said.There is still time for the party to give the AB forms to its official candidates. “I will keep trying for the ticket. I will soon meet Fadnavis and discuss it with him,” Kakade said. He had played a key role in the 2017 civic polls in which BJP won over a 100 seats.