Pune: BJP’s Chandrakant Patil Retains Kothrud Constituency In Dominant Victory
Kothrud, 23rd November 2024: Minister of Higher and Technical Education of Maharashtra, Chandrakant Patil, has comfortably secured the Kothrud constituency with a lead of over 80,000 votes. He was contesting against Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) candidate Chandrakant Mokate. Patil’s victory was widely predicted, especially after former corporator Amol Balwadkar withdrew his candidacy and announced full support for him.
Kothrud, traditionally a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was considered an easy win, especially with Patil being fielded as the BJP candidate for the second consecutive time. Originally from Kolhapur, Patil first contested from Kothrud in 2019. Back then, aspiring candidates Dr Medha Manjrekar and Murlidhar Mohol were also in the fray, but Dr Manjrekar was appointed as a Rajya Sabha MP, and Murlidhar Mohol became the Pune MP and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation.
This time, Chandrakant Patil faced a brief challenge when Baner-based former corporator Amol Balwadkar demanded the candidacy. However, after discussions with Patil and BJP Maharashtra State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Balwadkar withdrew his demands, ensuring a smooth campaign for Patil.
Kothrud had a total of 4.31 lakh registered voters, with a voter turnout of 52.18%. Given the low turnout, a one-sided victory for Chandrakant Patil was widely anticipated, which he delivered with ease.
