Madhuri Misal becomes the fourth woman from Pune to be elected MLA after Leela Merchant in 1972, Shanti Naik in 1978 and Kamal Dhole-Patil in 2004

Madhuri Misal of the BJP is the sole woman candidate to have won the polls in Pune. With this, she became the fourth woman from the city to be elected MLA since 1967.

The first woman legislator from the city was Leelatai Merchant of the Congress who won the Assembly election from Kasba Peth in 1972 against Rambhau Wadke of the SSP. Shanti Narayan Naik from Janata Dal had won against Suresh Kalmadi in 1978— he was the sitting MP then too — while the third woman to have bagged the seat was Kamal Dhole-Patil from NCP who won the Bhavani Peth seat in 2004 against Deepak Paigude who was then a Sena man.

In the district, Daund Assembly constituency saw Usha Jagdale of the Congress winning in 1972 and 1985. Ranjana Kul won the seat in 2004 from the same constituency.

Misal polled 64, 959 votes and won with a lead of 18,000 votes against NCP candidate Sachin Tawre.

And though they didn’t win, there were other women who did put up a tough fight, such as Sena candidates Asha Buchke from Junnar and Kalpana Adhalrao who contested against sitting MLAs, as well as Sulabha Ubale from Sena who took on the might of independent candidate Vilas Lande and NCP candidate and former PCMC mayor Mangala Kadam. Parvati also saw the Third Front putting up women activist Kiran Moghe for the polls but she scored only about 3,000 votes.

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