While the Punekars are yet to forget the political slugfest during the Kasba bypoll held last year, this year Congress' Ravindra Dhangekar is again set to face BJP's Hemant Rasane in the Maharashtra assembly polls, which will be held on November 20.
For the uninitiated, Dhangekar rose to fame after his victory in the bypoll against Rasane, which was held following the death of incumbent MLA Mukta Tilak. This seat, previously held by the BJP for 30 years, saw Congress make its comeback after a staggering 30 years. While Chandrakant Patil's statements regarding Dhangekar made rounds during the bypoll, Dhangekar answered those criticisms himself with his victory. He has been at the forefront of the fight against issues like the Porsche accident case, actions against pubs violating norms, and addressing traffic and law and order situations in the city.
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What do the numbers say?
However, Dhangekar lost the Lok Sabha polls to BJP's Murlidhar Mohol and even trailed in his own constituency.
The seat, once considered a prestigious bastion for the BJP, saw a shift in the last bypoll when Congress' Ravindra Dhangekar defeated BJP's Hemant Rasane. This was the first time since 1995 that Congress had 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.