Maharashtra elections 2024: BJP seeks to reclaim Kasba Peth seat from Congress

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As Maharashtra gears up for the announcement of Assembly election results on November 23, all eyes are on the Kasba Peth constituency in Pune, where a fierce battle is set to unfold between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC). This seat holds particular significance for the BJP as it seeks to reclaim a stronghold from Congress.

Deepak Mankar, Pune's NCP President, who commands substantial influence in the Kasba Peth constituency, expressed confidence that the Mahayuti alliance - comprising the BJP and NCP - would wrest the seat from Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar. Mankar credited the alliance's combined efforts and the added strength from the NCP's partnership with the BJP for their optimism.

Speaking to ANI, Mankar said, "Every party worker from the alliance has worked tirelessly to reclaim this seat from Congress's sitting MLA Ravindra Dhangekar. During the by-election, Dhangekar managed a narrow victory, partly due to the absence of the NCP (United) alliance, which benefited Congress. But now that the NCP is aligned with the BJP, this added support will ensure a BJP win, with Hemant Rasane as our candidate."

Mankar also criticised Dhangekar's tenure, claiming that the Congress MLA had failed to deliver meaningful results for the people, focusing only on publicity stunts instead of real work for the constituency.

BJP's candidate Hemant Rasane echoed this sentiment, stressing the dissatisfaction among voters with Dhangekar's performance. Rasane expressed confidence in his victory, pointing to the aggressive campaign run by the alliance and positive feedback from the voters. "I am confident we will win the Kasba Peth seat. The voters know that Dhangekar has done little for them in the past year and a half. Our alliance partners have mounted a vigorous campaign across the constituency," Rasane told ANI.

Despite Kasba Peth being the smallest constituency in the district, with 2,83,635 voters - compared to the 6,63,622 voters of Chinchwad - voter enthusiasm remained high, with a turnout of 58.77% by late afternoon.

Ravindra Dhangekar, however, faces additional challenges from senior Congress leader Kamal Vyavahare, who is contesting as an independent after the party denied her a ticket. This could lead to a split in the Congress vote. Meanwhile, Rasane managed to pacify BJP rebels to prevent any division of votes in the BJP camp.

Senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi dismissed the BJP's claims, stating, "The people of Maharashtra are fed up with the BJP and its allies due to issues like unemployment, inflation, and broken promises. Therefore, their claims about winning Kasba Peth have no merit. MVA will win in Maharashtra, including the Kasba Peth seat."

The Kasba Peth constituency saw a significant shift in 2022 when Congress's Ravindra Dhangekar won the seat in the by-poll after the death of Mukta Tilak, a former BJP representative. Dhangekar defeated BJP's Hemant Rasane by a margin of 10,915 votes. Despite this victory, Dhangekar's subsequent loss in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 by a significant margin of over 1.5 lakh votes suggests that the seat could once again be up for grabs in the upcoming Assembly election results.

As per ANI, the final outcome in Kasba Peth will be keenly watched, with both parties making aggressive claims for victory.

(With inputs from ANI)