Congress receives big jolt in Pune, Aba Bagul reaches Nagpur to meet Fadnavis, Bawankule

Nagpur: MLA Ravindra Dhangeker, who had snatched the victory from the BJP in the Kasba Peth assembly bypoll after almost three decades, has been fielded in the Pune Lok Sabha constituency. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) expects Dhangekar to repeat his performance in the Lok Sabha polls too.

However, Congress loyalist and former Deputy Mayor and former corporator was not happy with Dhangekar’s candidature, which he spoke out in the public too. Now, Bagul has gone to meet Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, which has triggered speculations in political circles.

Aba Bagul has reached Nagpur to meet Fadnavis and BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Bagul has been discontent with the candidature of Ravindra Dhangekar. He also protested in front of Congress Bhavan in Pune. Since then he has been in contact with the BJP leaders. His visit to Nagpur, in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha polls, indicates his possible crossing over to the BJP camp. However, it still remains to be seen whether he would be able to damage Dhangekar’s prospects in the election.

Murlidhar Mohol is the Maha Yuti’s candidate from the Pune Lok Sabha constituency. Mohol has done considerable work as the mayor during the Corona pandemic. Dhangekar is a winner for the MVA. However, his candidature has given rise to dissent in the city unit of Congress. Bagul’s latest move is the fallout of dissent.

Aba Bagul’s opposition

Congress loyalists were shocked after the party announced Dhangekar as party’s candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. They expect that justice would be done to them. While expressing his displeasure, Bagul had said, “This is seen as killing of party loyalists. The party denied the ticket to those who have worked for 40 years. A recent MLA was given the Lok Sabha ticket. He came to the Congress via the Shiv Sena and the MNS. He was made the candidate for the Kasba Peth bypoll. We worked for his victory. I don’t understand what criteria the party applied while naming Dhangekar the Lok Sabha candidate when senior leaders such as Balasaheb Shivarkar, Mohan Joshi, Ulhas Pawar and I were there.”