Pune: Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol has urged the Mahayuti office bearers in Pune district to work in coordination across 21 assembly seats in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Highlighting the importance of collaboration, he cautioned, "Think about what our situation will be if our government does not come to power in the state."
During a meeting held in Kothrud today (October 21), Mohol instructed alliance members not to contact candidates directly if campaign issues arise but instead to consult the Mahayuti Coordination Committee.
The meeting brought together representatives from key Mahayuti parties including BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP. Among the attendees were Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, MLA Rahul Kul, BJP City President Dheeraj Ghate, State Women's Commission Chairperson Rupali Chakankar, Shiv Sena’s Kiran Sali, and others.
Mohol emphasized unity within the alliance, advising party members to support the candidate selected by the coalition's leadership and to avoid any actions that could cause internal discord.
Speaking at a press conference, he detailed the campaign strategy, noting that plans for constituency-specific meetings, rallies, and large public gatherings are being finalized for the upcoming 30-day period.
Chandrakant Patil, who also addressed the gathering, highlighted the alliance’s efforts to boost voter turnout in key areas. "We are working to increase voter turnout at every booth. In the last Lok Sabha elections, we lost six constituencies by margins of 6,000 to 21,000 votes.
If we had managed to gain just a few more votes per booth, we could have secured those seats. If the 45 Mahayuti MLAs from Western Maharashtra are re-elected, Mahayuti could secure power in the state," he stated.
Regarding the Pune Cantonment Assembly constituency, Mohol assured that although the candidate’s name was not included in the first list, it would be in the second list.
The party aims to give a chance to suitable candidates and resolve any dissatisfaction among the workers. He confirmed that no resignations are planned and that the alliance will work to ensure coordination wherever it is currently lacking.
Responding to a question about Manoj Jarange-Patil, Chandrakant Patil defended the actions taken by the government regarding Maratha reservation.
"The reservation we gave was canceled by Uddhav Thackeray, but Eknath Shinde reinstated it, and it has been upheld in court. We ask Manoj Jarange-Patil to explain what exactly we did wrong.
After providing caste-based reservation for the Maratha community, EWS reservation was lost. Jarange-Patil should speak logically and to the point. We are even ready to guarantee on a ₹1,000 stamp paper that the reservation provided will be maintained."