Pune: Dheeraj Ghate Likely to Get BJP Ticket for Kasba Assembly Seat Against Congress's Ravindra Dhangekar

While the Congress announced Ravindra Dhangekar as its candidate for the Kasba Peth assembly seat in Pune on Thursday, the BJP is yet to announce its candidate for the seat.

BJP city president Dheeraj Ghate, Hemant Rasane, the former Chairman of the Standing Committee, Kunal Tilak, the son of the late MLA Mukta Tilak, and Swarda Bapat, the daughter-in-law of the late MP Girish Bapat, are all in the running for the seat.

However, according to sources, Dheeraj Ghate is likely to receive the ticket and is expected to contest against Dhangekar from the saffron party.

Other names in news

Despite the BJP's defeat in the Kasba by-election, Rasane, who was the party's candidate in that election, is back in the contest as election in-charge. Through a variety of community initiatives, he has focused on addressing regional problems and increasing outreach efforts. Ghate, a well-known city leader, has also entered the race with enthusiastic support from his followers. Their supporters are actively promoting their candidates on social media due to the rivalry between Rasane and Ghate.

केंद्रीय परराष्ट्रमंत्री मा. श्री. एस. जयशंकर जी शनिवारी पुणे दौऱ्यावर होते. यावेळी त्यांच्या हस्ते पुण्यातील भारतीय जनता पार्टी - महायुतीच्या मीडिया सेंटरचे उदघाटन करण्यात आले. उदघाटनाच्या कार्यक्रमावेळी त्यांचे स्वागत केले. कार्यक्रमानंतर जयशंकर जी यांनी माध्यम प्रतिनिधींशी… pic.twitter.com/b4hFZF4ebx

— Dheeraj Ghate (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DheerajGhate) October 26, 2024

Kasba Peth assembly seat

The seat, once considered a prestigious bastion for the BJP, saw a shift in the last by-poll when Congress' Ravindra Dhangekar defeated BJP's Hemant Rasane. This was the first time since 1995 that Congress has won the seat. The Kasba bypoll was a matter of prestige for the BJP, bringing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and a host of other top ministers and leaders to campaign for Rasane. Dhangekar received 72,599 votes, while Rasane got 61,771 votes.

In the Pune Lok Sabha polls, Dhangekar lost to BJP's Murlidhar Mohol, with the Kasba assembly segment providing a lead of 14,483 votes to Mohol. In this segment, Mohol secured 87,565 votes, while Dhangekar garnered 73,082 votes.