Array of leaders enter fray,Kothrud in sharp focus

Joshi said the BJP has not given him ticket under the pretext of he being 74 years old. “If the party can give ticket to another 74-year-old candidate from Amravati,why not me? I am physically capable of contesting and winning elections.”

Replying to a question about Kothrud being a stronghold of the saffron front,Joshi said it was he who had made it their stronghold. “While contesting elections from Shivajinagar constituency (which also included Kothrud then) in 1980,1985 and 1989,I was instrumental in ensuring the victory of the BJP candidates.”

When asked if any BJP leader had spoken to him after his entry into NCP,Joshi said BJP national spokesperson Prakash Javadekar had called him and wished him luck.

Meanwhile,Mankar claimed that 90 per cent of the Congress workers in Kothrud would support him. “My fight will be against only one candidate – Chandrakant Mokate. I am confident of winning as people know me and my work… Shiv Sena leaders Shyam Deshpande and Neelam Gorhe are following someone’s instructions to conspire against me in the land grab case. I will declare that person’s name when the time is ripe,” he said,while speaking to the media after submitting his nomination papers at Karve Road ward office.

Savarkar too made it clear that she could not be taken lightly,pointing out the basic differences between Hindu Mahasabha and other saffron parties. “Our party has entry only for Hindus. Non-Hindus are not entertained here. Our motive is to spread the ideology of Swatantryaveer Savarkar and Hindu Mahasabha,” she said.

MNS candidate Kishore Shinde said the other candidates were ignoring MNS at their own peril. “One must remember that Kothrud constituency has maximum supporters of Raj Thackeray. A large number of voters in this area are educated and young who agree with his ideologies. This vote bank will deliver the goods for the MNS,” he said.