Citizens furious over traffic jams caused by political rallies
PUNE: With Tuesday being the last day to file nominations for the upcoming state assembly elections, many candidates opted to file their nomination papers on Monday along with rallies organised as shows of strength, leading to widespread traffic congestion. From the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Madhuri Misal filed her nomination from Kothrud, Siddharth Shirole from Shivajinagar, Bhimrao Tapkir from Khadakwasla, and Sunil Kamble from the Cantonment area.
Misal’s rally began after prayers at the Ganpati and Mahalaxmi temples in Sarasbaug; accompanied by union minister Murlidhar Mohol, BJP state general secretary Rajesh Pandey, former MP Pradeep Rawat and others.
Mohol said, “Madhuri tai has accelerated development projects in this constituency and ensured that schemes reach beneficiaries, and enjoys a strong public outreach. She will win by a large majority.”
Misal said, “For the fourth consecutive term, the BJP leadership has placed its trust in me. The development work over the past 15 years and the efforts to bring government schemes to everyone give me confidence that I will once again win by a significant majority.”
From the Congress, Ravindra Dhangekar filed his nomination from Kasba Peth, drawing crowds during his rally. Congress leader Ramesh Iyer said, “The turnout shows strong support, and we are confident Dhangekar will win.”
However, there were traffic disruptions across Pune as candidates across political parties filed their nominations for the upcoming polls. Misal’s rally caused congestion from Sarasbaug to Bajirao Road, while an afternoon procession for Nationalist Congress Party/NCP (SP) candidate Ashwini Kadam from Parvati further exacerbated traffic woes. There were long queues of vehicles outside Sarasbaug with buses from the Swargate state transport (ST) stand also caught in the gridlock.
“I was stuck for over half an hour because of the BJP candidate’s rally, and the traffic police were not monitoring it properly,” said Gaurav Menkar, a commuter.
Last week, there was similar congestion on Karve Road during BJP leader Chandrakant Patil’s rally. “Political leaders should not be allowed to hold rallies that disrupt daily life. We have jobs to get to, and emergencies can arise,” said Mihika Rathi.
Deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Amol Zende responded to the complaints saying, “We have deployed traffic personnel across the city. Monitoring is in place when political rallies are held with additional forces deployed where needed. The model code of conduct is in effect, and strict measures will be taken against any violations.”
