Amid the counting of votes in Kasba Peth and Chinchwad Assembly constituencies, which went to bypolls on February 27, the Congress's Maharashtra president Nana Patole on Thursday sounded "confident" about his party's prospects in the former after the initial rounds of counting put the Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate in the lead.
Speaking to reporters amid the ongoing counting of votes on Thursday, Patole said he was optimistic that the early trends in Kasba Peth would translate 'into victory" for the Congress.
The counting of votes for the Assembly bye-elections in Kasba Peth and Chinchwad Assembly segments began at 8 am on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Patole expressed gratitude to the people of the Kasba for reposing their trust in the MVA and the Congress.
"The people in Pune have rejected all attempts to undermine democracy through money and intimidation," Patole said, without naming the BJP.
"I am confident that our candidate in Chinchwad will also win. There is a neck-to-neck fight. Our candidate is leading in Kasba Peth," he told reporters.
Amid the counting of votes, Kasba Peth BJP candidate Hemant Rasane offered prayers at Shreemant Dagdusheth Haliwali Ganpati Temple in Pune.
Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) workers erupted into celebrations at Kasba Peth on Thursday as the official trends pointed to a win for Congress' Dhangekar Ravindra Hemraj.
The Kasba Peth Assembly constituency was locked in a fierce two-way fight, with the Congress's Dhangekar Ravindra Hemraj leading BJP'S Hemant Narayan Rasane by 1,637 votes after intial rounds of counting.
The polling was held on February 27.
( With inputs from ANI )
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