In Pune’s well-heeled Kothrud constituency, a triangular contest is brewing ahead of the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly elections. With traffic snarls, infrastructure gaps, and competing claims of development, the race for Kothrud’s assembly seat is set to be a high-stakes contest.
The battle for Kothrud is essentially a reflection of the larger tension between political promises and the practical demands of urban governance.
Chandrakant Patil, the sitting BJP minister and candidate, faces serious challenges from both the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Once a BJP stronghold, Kothrud has witnessed dramatic shifts over the years—none more significant than Patil’s controversial rise to the seat in 2019. Despite being considered an ‘outsider’ from Kolhapur, Patil triumphed over the MNS’s Kishor Shinde by a comfortable margin, thanks in part to his party’s well-oiled election machine and a divided opposition. This time around, however, Patil, a former Maharashtra BJP president, may find the going tougher.
For Chandrakant Mokate, the Sena (UBT) nominee, this election is a homecoming of sorts. A former MLA from Kothrud, Mokate, who represented the constituency until 2014, believes his deep roots in the area will resonate with voters who feel disconnected from the present administration.
Kothrud is a constituency in crisis. While the region boasts some of Pune’s most sought-after real estate, including the upscale areas of Baner, Pashan, and Balewadi, its infrastructure is sorely lacking.
The area’s roads are perpetually clogged, and footpaths are almost non-existent in many stretches, leaving pedestrians to risk life and limb on busy thoroughfares. With frequent roadworks for utilities and delayed construction projects, local residents are increasingly frustrated.
Take, for example, the Baner Pashan Link Road and Paud Road - both notorious for frequent traffic jams. The district’s ongoing struggles with garbage management also reflect deeper systemic issues.
Despite a shift in the garbage depot from Kothrud several years ago, residents complain of chronic sanitation problems.
Amid these frustrations, BJP’s Patil is staking his claim on the state government’s track record, touting welfare schemes that have been implemented across Maharashtra. As his strongest rival, Mokate is not so easily swayed. The former MLA asserts that a focus on basic infrastructure and development is needed before voters will return to the BJP fold.
Not to be outdone, MNS’s Kishor Shinde - re-nominated after his previous defeat - has made civic issues his central plank. Having served as a corporator in the Pune Municipal Corporation, Shinde claims the pace of development in Kothrud has been haphazard and poorly managed.
Encroachments and unchecked growth are major issues that need urgent attention, Shinde argues, positioning himself as the candidate of reform.
The contest, however, is not just about infrastructure. Kothrud’s voters, many of whom are upper-caste Brahmins, have long leaned towards pro-Hindutva politics. In a constituency where saffron support runs deep, all three contenders - Patil, Mokate, and Shinde - are competing for the same ideological ground.
As the election approaches, the pressure on Patil is mounting. Once seen as the BJP’s golden boy, he now faces a tough task of managing a city that is still grappling with its growing pains.
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