Congress fields Mohan Joshi against BJP's Girish Bapat in Pune

Putting an end to suspense, the Congress has announced Mohan Joshi as its candidate from Pune Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra. The announcement was made late Monday night by the Congress in an official release, a day after its city unit started poll campaigning in the constituency though it had then not declared its candidate. Joshi's main rival in Pune constituency is five-time BJP MLA and state cabinet minister Girish Bapat. Joshi, popularly known as 'dada' in political circles, is considered a loyalist of the Congress since 1972.

He earlier contested the Lok Sabha election in 1999 from Pune but lost to BJP's Pradip Rawat. Despite the then triangular fight between the BJP, NCP and Congress, he had secured 2.12 lakh votes. Joshi, a former MLC and ex-president of the state Youth Congress, also served as AICC observer for Rajasthan Assembly polls in 2013, Bihar elections in 2010 and polls in Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in 2008, 2007 and 2005, respectively. After being declared as the Congress candidate from Pune, Joshi thanked party president Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ashok Chavan for reposing faith in him, and expressed confidence of winning the seat.

"We will reach out to people in the city and present the Modi government's failures in last five years before the voters. We will win in Pune," he said. Joshi said he has been working towards various issues in the city and considering his experience in political, social, cultural and educational fields, the voters in Pune will elect him. Lok Sabha elections to 48 seats in Maharashtra will be held in four phases on April 11, 18, 23 and 29 and the results will be declared on May 23. Polling in Pune seat will be held on April 23.

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