'Those who promised to make panels 1 to 12 BJP-free are now struggling to save their own seat', says BJP neta Pradeep Ramchandani

ULHASNAGAR: Amid the ongoing campaign for the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation elections, senior BJP leader Pradeep Ramchandani launched a scathing attack on former five-time corporator Jamnu Puraswani during an election rally.

Puraswani, who recently quit the BJP, is now contesting the election on the Shiv Sena symbol from Team Omie Kalani (TOK) party.Addressing the gathering, Ramchandani recalled that after leaving the BJP, Jamnu Puraswani had claimed he would make Panels 1 to 12 “BJP-free” in the city. However, Ramchandani said the ground reality has changed completely. According to him, Puraswani is now struggling hard just to save his own seat from Panel No.

2, from where he is contesting, and is visibly under pressure. He asserted that the public mood in this panel is clearly in favour of the BJP and that the blessings of the voters are firmly with the party.Taking his criticism further, Ramchandani, who is also election -in-charge of party for Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation said that although Jamnu Puraswani is contesting on the Shiv Sena ticket, Shiv Sena is only a small alliance partner with the BJP.

Using a strong administrative analogy, he remarked that when Puraswani was in the BJP, he was like a “Collector,” but after leaving the party, he has been reduced to a “Tehsildar.

” He questioned why voters would choose a Tehsildar when they have the option to elect a Collector for their ward, adding that even a Tehsildar ultimately has to approach the Collector to get work done.The political battle has become more intense in Panel No. 3, which was once considered a stronghold of the BJP.

Puraswani has been elected five times as a corporator from this panel on the BJP ticket. However, about a month ago, he quit the BJP along with four other BJP corporators and joined TOK, a local political outfit that has an alliance with Shiv Sena at the city level.Since the BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting the Ulhasnagar elections separately, Puraswani is now in the fray from this panel on the Shiv Sena symbol along with three other candidates. On the other hand, the BJP has fielded Meena Labana, Advocate Bharat Shivnani, Sandhya Marathe and Harish Kanojia from the same panel, setting the stage for a high-voltage contest.