51.46 per cent (2024, till 10 pm)

The battle of Shirur in Pune district is of both the NCPs as Amol Kolhe, the sitting NCP (SP), fights to retain his seat against Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, the NCP (Ajit Pawar) candidate. In 2019, Kolhe had defeated Patil, who was then the candidate from the undivided Shiv Sena. Thus the battle of Shirur is the battle between two parties that have split as well as two candidates who are old rivals.

Shirur’s voting was much less than in 2019 with the urban constituencies of Bhosari and Hadapsar recording 46.21 per cent and 45.39 per cent voting. Junnar (56.35 per cent), Ambegaon (61 per cent), Khed Alandi (55.29 per cent) and Shirur (53.05 per cent), the rural belts have voted well. Ambegaon is the home constituency of Patil as well as senior state minister Dilip Walse Patil, while Junnar is the home constituency of Kolhe. Of the six assembly constituencies, only Shirur’s MLA Ashokrao Pawar remains with NCP (SP). Patil had parted ways with Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and decided to fight the election on NCP (AP) ticket.

While speaking to The Indian Express Kolhe said he was confident of an easy win. “The urban areas have voted well in the mornings. I am very confident about my win,” he said. Patil also made a similar claim and said the high temperature and rains would not be a deterrent to his voters. “Farmers are my voters — they are used to this. I am sure I will win with a comfortable margin,” he said. Patil claimed that his opponent might have used money power to influence voters in some rural parts.

However, urban apathy was very evident with many in Moshi preferring not to exercise their right to vote. A civic official pointed out that as the voting day fell after a weekend, some might have taken the opportunity to take a short break. In the evening, rain and thundershowers were reported from many parts of the constituency. Voting was lull in the afternoons but it picked up later in the evening.

Both Patil and Kolhe were visiting the polling booths with booths in Chakan reporting long queues. The industrial belt of Chakan and Shikrapur Ranjangaon was closed as workers went for voting. The Chakan Mandi as well as the Rajagurunagar mandi were closed for voting. The campaign has seen Patil and Kolhe accusing each other of inaction in terms of development work. Kolhe accused Patil of misusing his position as an MP allegedly in asking questions to benefit his company- a charge which Patil had denied. Similarly Patil had said Kolhe had failed to get any movement done in development work in the constituency.

Parts of Junnar, Ambegaon and Shirur are part of the onion belt and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had claimed that his talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi had helped remove the ban on onion export. However, lower than expected prices of onion has created ripples in the constituency – it remains to be seen on how it played up at the end.