Pune BJP workers upbeat after Assembly poll victory in 3 states, get much-needed boost after Kasba bypoll debacle

In 2019, the BJP won the Pune Lok Sabha seat and six of the eight assembly segments. However, it lost the Kasba seat to the Congress in the bypoll.

Written by Ajay Jadhav

Pune | December 4, 2023 05:25 PM IST

3 min read

New Delhi: BJP workers celebrate the party's lead in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh during counting of votes for the Assembly elections, at the party headquarters, in New Delhi, on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023. (PTI Photo)

The Pune BJP unit received the much-needed confidence boost after the saffron party comprehensively won the Assembly polls in three states Sunday. The bypoll loss in Kasba earlier this year had cast a shadow of doubt on the party’s poll preparedness ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections next year.

The BJP had roped in Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other state ministers during the bypoll campaign but could not win the seat which it held for decades. The bypoll was necessitated after the demise of sitting BJP legislator Mukta Tilak.

Soon after, the party lost another senior leader and sitting MP Girish Bapat. However, the bypoll for the Lok Sabha seat has not been conducted, with the Opposition alleging that the BJP was avoiding the election fearing another electoral loss.

“The victory of the BJP in the three states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh – has proved once again that no other political party can ensure development. The voters have continued to trust the party and the same will continue in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,” said Dheeraj Ghate, who was appointed city BJP unit chief a few months ago.

“We are now geared up for the elections and have started work without wasting any more time. The organisational appointments at the booth level have been made and responsibilities are being entrusted for the forthcoming elections,” he added.

In 2019, the BJP won the Pune Lok Sabha seat and six of the eight assembly segments. However, it lost the Kasba seat to the Congress in the bypoll.

Pune Congress leader Mohan Joshi, who was party in-charge of seven Assembly segments in Telangana, said Assembly election results will not impact the Lok Sabha poll outcome. “During my stint in Telangana, I have realised that the citizens are against the BJP-led Union government. So, the Lok Sabha election results will be against the ruling saffron party,” he said.

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Joshi, an aspirant for the Congress ticket to the Pune Lok Sabha seat, said the BJP deliberately avoided the Pune bypoll after the death of Bapat. “The pre-poll survey had indicated that the result of the Pune Lok Sabha bypoll would not have gone in favour of the BJP, so they ensured there was no election even though it was necessary to hold the election within six months of the seat getting vacated,” he added.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

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Bharatiya Janata Party Kasba pune