PUNE: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Murlidhar Mohol on Thursday filed his nomination papers from the Pune Lok Sabha constituency.
While speaking to reporters, Mohol hailed the BJP saying, "Only the BJP can give a chance to a booth worker like me. Today I have become a candidate for a Lok Sabha constituency. It is the speciality of the BJP that they know how to do justice to a booth worker."
He further stated, "I don't have any political background. I have done 30 years of political service. Today, my party, its workers and my family are delighted that I am filing a nomination."
Notably, NCP (Ajit Pawar) Pune President Deepak Mankar and Shiv Sena leaders Neelam Gorhe, and BJP MP Rajya Sabha Medha Kulkarni were present when Mohol filed his nomination.
It is noteworthy that the elections for the first phase were conducted in Maharashtra on April 19. The remaining constituencies are to undergo polls on April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20.
The voting in Pune is going to be held on May 13.
The state, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the lower house of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 out of 25 contested seats, while the undivided Shiv Sena secured 18 out of 23 seats.
The undivided NCP, part of the opposition alliance, contested 19 seats and won four in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Following the split in the Shiva Sena in 2022, the Eknath Shinde faction aligned with the BJP.