After uncertainty and confusion over candidature for Pune Lok Sabha seat, Congress, finally gets the face of Mohan Joshi to field from the crucial seat against Girish Bapat of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress announced the name of Joshi on Monday after midnight, two days before the last day to file nomination for the third phase polls in Maharashtra.
Congress sidelined a Maratha face , Praveen Gaikwad, leader of Maratha Kranti Morcha who joined the party just before the day of the announcement of Joshi’s name as well as three-time corporator Arvind Shinde in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
In Pune constituency, both Joshi and Bapat have a number of things in common Both are in their 60s, hail from the Brahmin community, have their bases in old part of Pune, have been party loyalists for over three decades and enjoy the support of the city’s trading community.
“By giving me the honour to contest Pune, party President Rahul Gandhi has sent out a strong and positive message to all Congress loyalists in Maharashtra that there is justice for those who have worked diligently for their party,” he said. Joshi further said, “I plan to release my vision document on Wednesday, which will speak in detail on the problems, be it water or transport or pollution, plaguing the city and the BJP administration’s failure in resolving them.”