Nagpur: The BJP has made the Pune municipal council polls a prestige issue, and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to postpone his visit to Mumbai to December 24 instead of December 10. The Pune council polls are on December 14 and the CM, who is the star campaigner for the polls, would be holding 23 rallies from December 10 onwards. An additional programme — laying the foundation stone for Pune Metro along with that for Mumbai Metro 4 and the Bandra-Virar elevated train corridor — has been added to the prime minister's schedule.
Pune has so far remained Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar's stronghold. However, this time, the BJP wants to capture the area and has put in all its efforts to win Pune. After its success in the municipal council polls, the BJP's confidence has been boosted and it is now aiming to win the second phase of the council polls, scheduled for December 14.
"The CM has planned 23 rallies for Pune and had requested the PM to postpone his programme to December 24 instead of December 10. The PM has agreed to it and changed his schedule. Now, along with the Mumbai Metro 4 and Bandra-Virar elevated railway corridor, the prime minister would be laying the foundation stone for the Pune Metro," a senior BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity.
The municipal council polls in 26 local bodies, including Pune, would take place on December 14. Pune's zilla parishad and municipal corporation would go for polls in February next year. The chief minister would be conducting rallies exclusively for Pune from December 10onwards. Also, food and civil supplies minister Girish Bapat, who hails from Pune, has been entrusted with responsibility for the polls. He was recently released from his responsibility as the parliamentary affairs minister to concentrate more on Pune. A close aide of Mr Bapat's said that the minister might not remain present during the entire winter session of the legislature at Nagpur and would be working for the Pune polls.
