Finally, Congress declares candidate for Pune Lok Sabha seat

NPnews24 Online : Pune – In a major jolt to Maratha leader Praveen Gaikwad who had joined Congress party recently hoping to get the ticket from Pune, the party has announced the name of former MLC Mohan Joshi as candidate from Pune Lok Sabha seat. The announcement was made around Monday midnight.

Joshi has been representing the Indian National Congress into various organizational and constitutional capacities and is heading the Maharshtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) as state general secretary. He is also heading Tennikoit Federation of India as chairman of the federation . He is also the President of Maharashtra State Branch of All India Harijan Sevak Sangh founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1932.

Born in Pune as elder son of Smt. Jamnabai Joshi and Shri. Ramkishan Joshi, initially took primary education Shri Shivaji Maratha High School, Pune and further started working after 12th standard.Initially started working as the mill worker long back and then took up a job of reporter in the local Marathi newspaper.

During his stint as the journalist, he covered social and political issues confronting Pune city, which assembled his social inclination for working towards Congress and idelogy of the party.

At initial stint as Journalist, Joshi turned Youth Congress Activist. He was the president of Pune Youth Congress in 1972 and president of Maharashtra Youth Congress in 1987.

It was under his leadership, all the elections held during 1997 to 2004 timeline, the Congress Party won all the elections for the Parliament, the State Assembly as well as the Pune Municipal Corporation. It is worth mentioning that the Congress Party won the Municipal corporation elections with a thumping majority under his leadership.

He also served as the Working President of Pune General Workers Union for many years uplifting and fighting the labor issues throughout.

Currently he is working as the advisor & honorary member of various Pune city-based trusts and voluntary organizations.

Lok Sabha Elections in 1999 :
Joshi was Congress candidate for the Parliament elections from Pune constituency in 1999. It was a triangular fight between the Congress Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and the BJP. Strong division of votes were divided between Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, Mohan Joshi garnered 212,000 votes and secured the second position. The NCP candidate, who was the then sitting Member of Parliament, slid down to the third position.

Lok Sabha elections 2004:
Congress & NCP had decided to contest the Parliament Elections in an alliance in 2004, Joshi had earned the claim for the Pune seat for Congress. He had also expressed the desire to contest from Pune Constituency. He was denied the nomination stating internal reasons. Mohan Joshi accepted the Party High Command’s decision and worked relentlessly for party’s candidate.