Kasba Peth bypoll: All quiet on prestige pitch ahead of Sunday thriller

PUNE: The roads, lanes and bylanes of Kasba Peth suddenly fell silent after Friday evening with the high voltage campaigning for the February 26 bypoll to the prestigious assembly constituency coming to an end following days of rallies and meetings by the who's who of Maharashtra politics.
The residents saw CM Eknath Shinde, deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, leader of the opposition Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Nana Patole and state Congress chief Nana Patole reaching out to them for support.
BJP's Hemant Rasne, who is pitted against Congress' Ravindra Dhangekar, appeared confident of retaining the seat that has been with his party after six Assembly polls since 1995. Dhangekar, however, said the response he had received from the Kasba Peth residents during the campaign indicated winds of change.
Local political observers said the contest that initially appeared a bit tilted towards the BJP because of its past performances was likely to be a tough one for the party with the MVA putting up a united show. A senior BJP leader, however, said the voters would support Rasne because of the development works done by the party in the last five years while governing the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
NCP city unit chief Prashant Jagtap said the voters were dejected with the BJP for its failure to resolve the issues of Kasba Peth in the past 30 years. He said, "The BJP's denial of a ticket to the family of Mukta Tilak, whose death necessitated the bypoll, has not gone down well with the citizens. The BJP realised the people's sentiments and even organized a visit of Union minister Amit Shah to the city during the campaigning. Despite health issues, MP Girish Bapat had to participate in the campaigning."
Congress city unit chief Arvind Shinde said all local cells and booths were activated during the campaign. "Dhangekar has received positive response from people from all sections of society," he said.
"The BJP has allotted over Rs500 crore for the civic wards in Kasba Peth. Let people know how the funds have been spent so far. The BJP should provide all the details. We cannot see any development in the constituency", he said.
Dhangekar, who wrapped up his poll campaign with a bike rally attended by Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, said, "Kasba Peth residents are not happy with the pace of development, as many key issues are still unaddressed. We will come out with a policy to resolve issues of transportation, parking and daily traffic snarls people have been facing."
Dhangekar also announced his manifesto for the constituency. The manifesto focused on nine key sectors - water supply, sanitation, health, redevelopment of wadas and conservation of heritage structures, riverfront development and transport related.
Rasne said a detailed plan would be for redevelopment of the old wadas and buildings. "Discussions are on and the plan will be soon finalized," he said.
All eyes are now on the citizens, who gear up to decide Dhangekar and Rasne's electorale fate. "Water supply in low pressure affects the residents' lives," said Manisha Jadhav. Fellow resident Priya Nazare said, "The PMC didn't take interest in regulating the drainage system."
(With additional inputs from Neha Kortikar)