Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said his party will introspect why it lost the Assembly bypoll to the Kasba Peth seat in Pune district and maintained the victorious Congress candidate won on the strength of his own political calibre.
Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar defeated Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Hemant Rasane to win the Kasba Peth Assembly seat, which had been with the BJP since 1995. Dhangekar, a five-time Pune corporator and prominent local politician, joined the Congress in 2017.
Fadnavis said, Congress candidate Dhangekar did not even use the photos of his party leader Rahul Gandhi (during campaigning). He had natural sympathy (of voters) and this was reflected in our (pre-poll) survey as well. But we thought we could still pull if off.
We have accepted the mandate of the people in the Kasba Peth Assembly segment and we will introspect over it (poll outcome). We will definitely win back Kasba Peth in the 2024 Assembly elections, said the BJP leader.
Two Assembly segments in Pune district — Kasba Peth and Chinchwad voted on February 26 in bypolls necessitated due to the death of sitting BJP MLAs Mukta Tilak and Laxman Jagtap, respectively.