BJP Pune city chief attacks the party for not being considered for Kasba assembly seat

Ghate has been seeking a party ticket for many years from Kasba assembly seat and was hopeful to get an opportunity, considering his contribution to the party as a loyal worker and currently as the party’s city unit chief. “You want a Hindutva government but don’t want a Hindutva activist for 30 years as a candidate,” Ghate tweeted immediately after the BJP declared Rasane as the candidate from Kasba seat.

According to sources close to him, Ghate will not rebel against the party but wants to express his displeasure to the party leadership.

Ghate is a staunch Hindutva leader and was elected as a corporator to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in 2017. He was made Leader of House in the civic body by the BJP after it came to power. He was later replaced abruptly but made the BJP’s Pune unit chief.

The BJP had won the Kasba seat for last few decades but lost the seat in the bypoll to Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar.

Earlier, party aspirants Srinath Bhimale had expressed displeasure for being ignored to contest the Parvati seat as the BJP declared the candidature of sitting legislator Madhuri Misal for the fourth time consecutively. Amol Balwadkar too was upset for the treatment given to him by party leaders after he sought candidature from Kothrud assembly seat by challenging sitting BJP veteram Chandrakant Patil.

The BJP also declined ticket to Deepak Nagpure in Khadakwasla, who was projecting himself as a Hindutva leader ahead of the Assembly elections.

Former city BJP chief Jagdish Mulik too has expressed displeasure for not being the party’s pick to contest the Vadgaonsheri seat, which he had won in 2014 but lost in 2019. The seat is being contested by alliance NCP, which has fielded sitting legislator Sunil Tingre for the constituency.