Pune: Former MLA Bapusaheb Pathare Hints at Contesting Upcoming Elections under NCP-SP Banner
Wadgaon Sheri, 9th September 2024: To win the upcoming Legislative Elections in Maharashtra, both Mahayuti and Mahavikas Aghadi have begun preparations. Discussions are underway about whom to nominate and whom to exclude. Mahavikas Aghadi defeated Mahayuti in Maharashtra in the last Lok Sabha Elections, which has prompted several defections from Mahayuti to Mahavikas Aghadi. Recently, Bapusaheb Pathare also “hinted” that he might be considering a move to Mahavikas Aghadi.
Bapusaheb Pathare was the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA from the Wadgaon Sheri Constituency in Pune city in 2009 and is currently part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In 2014, BJP leader Jagdish Mulik won the MLA seat from Wadgaon Sheri. During that election period, Bapusaheb Pathare left the NCP and joined the BJP due to internal factionalism within his former party. Given his influence in the area, it was expected that Bapusaheb Pathare would get a chance to contest from the BJP in the 2019 elections. However, the BJP leadership chose to field the incumbent MLA, Jagdish Mulik, instead. Mulik faced defeat in that election, and Sunil Tingre from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP became the MLA of Wadgaon Sheri in the 2019 Legislative Assembly Elections.
Now, BJP leader Bapusaheb Pathare has hinted that he may return to the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP after analyzing the voting patterns in the last three elections and observing the success of Mahavikas Aghadi in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
A video of Bapusaheb Pathare has gone viral, showing him speaking at a Ganeshotsav program where he said, “I am going to contest the upcoming elections and will run under the trumpet symbol (Nationalist Congress Sharad Chandra Pawar Party – NCP-SP). So, tell your relatives and friends in your area to vote for the trumpet.” This video has been widely circulated on social media. Attempts were made to reach Bapusaheb Pathare for comment, but no response was received.
