Pune: Bapusaheb Pathare enters the fray again from Vadgaon Sheri, Maha Yuti undecided over candidate

Pune: NCP (SP) State President Jayant Patil announced the first list of 45 party candidates on Thursday (October 24). Former NCP MLA Bapu Pathare has been fielded from Vadgaon Sheri. Pathare, who climbed the ladder of politics from a village sarpanch to a legislator has once again got an opportunity to prove his influence over his constituency.

Bapu Pathare was the sarpanch of Kharadi. Later, he occupied positions such as a Panchayat Samiti member, a ZP member and a corporator. He was also elected as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the PMC.

In 2009, he was elected as an NCP MLA. He joined the BJP but kept aloof from politics for some reasons. Now, he has been welcomed back in the NCP (SP) fold and got the party ticket as well.

Pathare exuded the confidence that he would win in the poll. He said, “Sharad Pawar has shown trust in me earlier too. People from Vadgaon Sheri trust me. Therefore, I will definitely win in this election.”

Pathare clarified that the election will be fought on the development plank. He highlighted how residents from the segment suffered in the past 10 years. He said that his focus would be on solving traffic issues.

Reacting to sitting MLA Sunil Tingre’s claim that he brought the highest funds for the constituency, Pathare said, “His funds exist only on paper. It is not to be seen anywhere in the constituency. If he has brought so much money, then where has it gone? Citizens are not happy as nothing has been done in the past several years. They want a change now.”