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‘Puneites reposed faith in us… Ajit used wrong narrative in accusing us of graft,’ Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol

Inside the BJP’s massive seat sweep in Pune.

4 min readPuneUpdated: Jan 17, 2026 01:25 AM IST

Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol (Express Archive)

Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, who had been given the charge of the election campaign for the municipal councils, municipal corporations and yet-to-be-held Zila Parishad polls, and who had predicted a clear win for the BJP in the Pune civic polls tells Sunanda Mehta of the results and the road ahead.

You have been predicting a big win for BJP all through despite a formidable opposition of a united NCP. Where did this confidence come from?

I knew BJP would win because the Pune public believes in development and progress. Pune has always given BJP an opportunity to work for them – be it Lok Sabha, the Assembly or the last municipal elections. So I know that the Pune citizens have seen our work and they believe in our abilities to bring progress to the city. In fact they firmly believe that only the BJP can take care of their future. Working under the guidance of Modiji and under Fadnavisji I could feel that Punekars have faith in us – and this gave me the confidence to declare that we will win the civic body polls.

Your prediction of the numbers was fairly accurate too.

Since the past week I have been saying that we will go up to 120-125 at least and be the single largest party. This was reinforced in the early hours itself as the trends started to come in. Puneites have reposed their faith in us because of the work we have done for them.

At the end of the campaigning, you also took Ajit Pawar head on and replied to his accusations against the BJP.

Be it the Pune citizens or the national voters, they give utmost importance to the issue of development. They know the value of progress and so listen when we talk about our work. If you instead set a negative narrative of bringing down others in front of the populace- they just don’t accept it. And this is just what happened in PMC and also in PCMC. Honourable Ajit Pawar used a very wrong narrative accusing the BJP of corruption amongst other things. This was just not appreciated by the people. The two NCP parties came together only to put forth this kind of campaigning. In fact they were the ones who gave tickets to criminals, misused money power- Pune people do not like these things. They can assess and understand parties and politicians and most importantly they want that when they vote for a candidate, they should get progress in return. Because of what we placed in front of the people during our campaigns they put their faith in us and rejected the NCP combine.

Also Read | Union minister Murlidhar Mohol interview: ‘Last-mile connectivity, awareness, expansion key to boost Pune Metro ridership’

So now that you are back in power what are your plans for Pune?

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There is a lot of work to be done. We have a triple engine government at the Centre, state and city and will use it for the benefit of the people. The Metro project must be on track as promised. Then there is the airport expansion project and the need to strengthen our public transport system. We have to complete the river project that we are committed to, and we have planned an ambitious project of 24X7 water supply to all parts of the city. We need to work to preserve the image of a green city, build great infrastructure and achieve better traffic management. Basically, we will deliver on all the promises we made in our manifesto.

Will the results make a difference now to the Mahayuti alliance in the state, especially since the fight with alliance partners wasn’t really a friendly one as declared earlier?

It won’t make a difference but it’s the national leaders who will really think about this and decide. There have been many local bodies polls in Maharashtra but the BJP has mostly fought alone everywhere. Yes, the elections didn’t turn out to be as friendly as we had thought but that’s because the people in front of us did not behave in that manner. So let’s see now. We will work according to the decisions and directives of our leadership.

Sunanda Mehta

Sunanda Mehta is the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Pune. She is a distinguished journalist, columnist, and author with over three decades of experience in the media industry. Educational background: A merit-lister in her 12 th in CBSE (5th rank in Humanities) Sunanda stood first in History in the Board for which she was awarded the Dr Tarachand Gold Medal. She is a triple-graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (History Honours) from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, Bachelor of Education, Delhi University (on scholarship) and Bachelor of Communication and Journalism, University of Pune. Professional Background Role: As Resident Editor, she oversees the Pune edition of The Indian Express, managing local news coverage, investigative features, and editorial direction for the city. Author: She is an accomplished author, known for her biographies. Her notable books include: The Extraordinary Life and Death of Sunanda Pushkar published by Pan Macmillan (2019). The book was long-listed for the Atta Galatta award for nonfiction and Auther award for best debut author. Majestic Musings - Translation of poems from 100 year old Badshaian from Punjabi to English (2023) Behind the Big Screen- the untold stories of child actors published by Bloomsbury India (2024) Focus Areas: While Sunanda has reported on various subjects from civic to political to investigative and crime, her forte remains long-form human-interest stories, heritage and gender issues. Core Column: "Against All Odds" Sunanda curates and writes a signature series titled "Against All Odds," which profiles individuals who have overcome significant personal, medical, or professional challenges. Recent notable articles (2025) The Story of Dr. Harinder Dhaliwal (July 2025): A Pune AFMC topper who became a neurologist in Canada despite becoming paraplegic. Jayoo Patwardhan’s Cancer Journey (Jan 2025): How the National Film Award-winning designer defeated cancer. Partha Iyengar’s Emergency mid-air (Aug 2025): The story of how Gartner’s India head survived a massive heart attack during a long-haul flight. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage continues to explore deep personal narratives and Pune’s socio-environmental landscape: 1. Personal Narratives & Closure "'I grieved for him 10 years after his murder, found closure to unsolved case'" (Dec 14, 2025): A poignant feature on Vineet Alurkar, son of the late Pune music legend Suresh Alurkar, and how digitizing his father’s collection helped him heal. "A 40-day journey home: how Christopher Benninger's partner gave him the gift of memories" (Nov 23, 2025): A moving tribute to the late acclaimed architect Christopher Benninger and his final trip to the US. "'After 38 years I finally met my biological mother'" (Sept 28, 2025): Chronicling the journey of an adopted daughter from Zurich searching for her roots in Pune. 2. Civic & Heritage "'Vetal Tekdi belongs to common citizens'" (Oct 20, 2025): An interview with environmental activist Dr. Sushma Date on the community-led protection of Pune’s vital green lungs. "'Military village' Apshinge recalls living through war days" (Aug 12, 2025): A report from a village in Maharashtra where nearly every household has a member in the armed forces, focusing on their legacy and current anxieties. 3. High-Profile Commentary & Investigations "Malegaon blast acquittals: 'I was expecting this verdict'" (July 31, 2025): An interview with former special public prosecutor Rohini Salian following the controversial acquittals. "Grounded, license cancelled... she decided to soar higher" (March 30, 2025): The story of Dr. Harpreet A De Singh, Air India’s first woman pilot from 1988, and her transition to leadership and meditation. Signature Style Sunanda Mehta is known for her empathetic storytelling. Unlike standard news reporting, her features often read like narrative non-fiction, focusing on the psychological and emotional resilience of her subjects. One of her articles in The Indian Express titled 'The Quality of Mercy' was converted into a film Rubaru Roshini produced by actor Aamir Khan. She is a strong advocate for Pune's heritage and environment, frequently using her platform to amplify citizen-led movements. X (Twitter): @sunandamehta and @ExpressPune ... Read More

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