Pune bypolls: Results show way forward for MVA, rings alarm bell for BJP-Sena
Hindustan TimesThe Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday failed to retain Kasba Peth Assembly seat in Maharashtra’s Pune against the Congress. For the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the victory of Congress nominee Ravindra Dhangekar over BJP’s Hemant Rasane in Kasba Peth by a margin of over 10,915 votes has sent a message that it can win against the BJP-Shiv Sena if they stuck together and also connect with the people, something that was seen during the bypolls. By-elections for both Kasba Peth and Chinchwad were necessitated due to the demise of the sitting legislators, the BJP’s Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, respectively The outcome in the Kasba Peth assembly constituency is considered a major victory for the MVA and the Congress party in particular, as the assembly seat was known as the BJP bastion for three decades. Following Rasane’s defeat, BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said, the party accepts defeat for Kasba Peth bypolls although it does not reflect the mood in general.