Pune: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its preparations for the upcoming assembly elections, which are approaching quickly.
The party is strategically planning by assigning responsibilities for the assembly constituencies under various Lok Sabha constituencies to key leaders and monitoring their performance closely.
In Pune, six assembly constituencies under the Pune Lok Sabha seat have been handed over to Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol and former Minister Pankaja Munde.
Pankaja Munde has been tasked with overseeing three assembly constituencies in Pune, including Wadgaon Sheri, which has sparked optimism for former BJP MLA Jagdish Mulik.
Mulik, who lost in the last assembly election, is eager to contest from Wadgaon Sheri and is actively working towards this goal.
Currently, Wadgaon Sheri is represented by NCP MLA Sunil Tingre, aligned with Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's faction. As the ruling state alliance comprising CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar gears up to contest the elections together as a grand alliance (Mahayuti), discussions are underway about seat allocations.
Preliminary talks suggest that constituencies will likely remain with the parties of the incumbent MLAs, giving Tingre a potential edge.
However, Mulik is making a strong case for the BJP to reclaim Wadgaon Sheri, capitalizing on Tingre's recent controversies, including allegations of pressuring police in a high-profile car accident case. This issue has caused some dissatisfaction among the voters, which Mulik hopes to turn to his advantage.
Jagdish Mulik, known for his close relationship with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, has been promised that his candidacy will be considered, further fueling his efforts.
The inclusion of Wadgaon Sheri along with Shivajinagar and Kothrud in Munde's portfolio, alongside Shivajinagar and Kothrud, has added to Mulik's optimism.
As speculation continues over which party will ultimately contest from Wadgaon Sheri under the alliance banner, BJP's assignment of this crucial constituency to Pankaja Munde has raised the stakes, making the contest highly competitive.