Ahead of Lok Sabha elections, parties reach out to ex-MNS leader Vasant More

Vasant More has a clout in Katraj and adjoining areas which are close to the Baramati, Shirur and Pune Lok Sabha seats.

Former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Vasant More. (File Photo)

Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, a race has begun among various political parties to get former Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Vasant More to join their respective parties. The motive — to make the most of his popularity in Pune and strengthen their parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

More has a clout in Katraj and adjoining areas which are close to the Baramati, Shirur and Pune Lok Sabha seats.

More is known to be a firebrand leader who led the MNS in the city and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for long. However, he was upset due to in-party politics over the last few years and has been publicly speaking about it.

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A day after he quit the MNS on Tuesday, Congress leader Mohan Joshi and Nationalist Congress Party leader Rupali Patil Thombare met More on Wednesday and offered him to join their respective parties.

“I met More and offered him to join Congress as he would be an asset for the party. I will discuss about him with the party leadership in the next few days as most of them are now busy with the ongoing tour of Rahul Gandhi in the state,” said city Congress leader Mohan Joshi, who is an aspirant for a party ticket from the Pune Lok Sabha seat.

Other city Congress leaders Abhay Chhajed and the party’s Pune chief Arvind Shinde also called More to know his future plans in politics.

The Congress had inducted another firebrand leader of MNS, Ravindra Dhangekar, a few years ago and the party got a legislator in Pune after Dhangekar won the Kasba bypoll last year by defeating the BJP in its bastion.

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Dhangekar is among the aspirants for a party ticket from the Pune Lok Sabha seat.

NCP(SP) working president Supriya Sule too spoke to More on phone and said she would be holding a meeting with him during her visit to Pune. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut called upon More with an offer to join his party. NCP leader Thombare, who too had quit the MNS to join the NCP a few years ago, said, “I have already urged More to join the NCP led by Ajit Pawar.”

More said, “A few MNS leaders also met him while there was an attempt to make me talk to MNS chief Raj Thackeray. I don’t want to cheat the MNS chief by giving him any false assurance. I have quit and won’t be returning to the MNS. I had sought a party ticket to contest the Pune Lok Sabha seat but the local leadership has submitted a report to the party chief that the situation is not conducive for the MNS in Pune so it should not contest it.”

More added that he had taken up the issues of the local leadership with the MNS chief but nothing was done about it.

Ajay Jadhav

Ajay Jadhav is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, Pune. He writes on Infrastructure, Politics, Civic issues, Sustainable Development and related stuff. He is a trekker and a sports enthusiast. Ajay has written research articles on the Conservancy staff that created a nationwide impact in framing policy to improve the condition of workers handling waste. Ajay has been consistently writing on politics and infrastructure. He brought to light the lack of basic infrastructure of school and hospital in the hometown of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as two private helipads were developed by the leader who mostly commutes from Mumbai to Satara in helicopter. Ajay has been reporting on sustainable development initiatives that protects the environment while ensuring infrastructure development. ... Read More

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