Pune Mayoral Race: BJP's Dark Horses Emerge Ahead of Reservation Lottery

• The lottery for mayoral reservations in 29 Maharashtra municipal corporations will be held on Friday, a week after election results.
• BJP secured a clear majority in Pune Municipal Corporation, winning 119 out of 165 seats, ensuring a BJP mayor.
• Potential mayoral candidates have emerged based on possible reservation categories for the Pune seat.
• Contenders for OBC category include Ganesh Bidkar, Shrinath Bhimale, Kiran Dagade Patil, and Ranjana Tilekar.
• Mrunal Kamble, Veena Ghosh, Prachi Alhat, and Pallavi Javale are strong candidates if the seat is reserved for SC, while Rohini Chimte is the sole ST contender. Dheeraj Ghate, Rajendra Shilimkar, and Manjusha Nagpure are in the running for the Open category.

Why It Matters: BJP will appoint Pune's mayor, with candidates emerging ahead of the crucial reservation lottery.