Pune witnessed a stark contradiction on Tuesday as political rallies for municipal corporation elections brought the city to a standstill. While candidates promised to solve traffic problems, their own campaign events created massive gridlocks across multiple areas.
Rallies Paralyze Key Areas
Different parts of Pune experienced severe congestion throughout the afternoon. A rally by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray caused major disruptions as he held public meetings across the city. Commuters faced significant hassles trying to navigate through the blocked roads.
Contradictory Campaigning
Jagdish Pahane, stuck in the Camp area, expressed frustration. "Each contestant talks about solving traffic issues, but their road shows create the very jams they promise to eliminate," he said. This sentiment echoed across Pune as multiple political events disrupted normal movement.
Major Political Events Cause Gridlock
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's road show completely closed all roads in Gokhalenagar along Senapati Bapat Road around noon. A local resident described the situation. "I spent 45 minutes to cover just one kilometer. How can these leaders promise traffic solutions when they create such chaos?"
Social Media Highlights the Irony
Vivek Phad posted pictures on social media showing political bike rallies causing afternoon traffic jams on busy roads. "This party promises to solve Pune's traffic problem. Remember, Puneites!" he wrote from a PMPML bus. The irony wasn't lost on residents witnessing the disruptions.
Multiple Areas Affected
The Parvati area experienced traffic jams for three consecutive days. Suvandhan Ingle, a working professional, shared his experience. "Sometimes there are noisy bike rallies, otherwise people just block streets with flags. I wonder if things will improve after the polls," he said on Tuesday afternoon.
Commuters Voice Their Anger
On Monday evening, commuter Ninaad Pai shared a video of a bike rally on social media. Tagging Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, he questioned, "Your men have taken over Kothrud with zero driving sense. Is this what we should expect after victory?"
Minister's Rally Adds to Congestion
Pune MP and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol's road show on Salunke Vihar Road and Kondhwa area left hundreds stranded. Sheetal Dixit from Kondhwa asked, "Don't they realize this is exactly what we don't want? How can they be ideal candidates when they trouble people before winning?"
Existing Problems Magnified
Salunke Vihar residents already face regular traffic issues. One resident pointed out, "Vegetable sellers encroach on major road portions despite having designated spaces. What did former corporators or PMC officials do about this?"
Complete Area Shutdowns
Anuj Shastri described Monday's situation in Bhosari. "The entire area shut down because of a political rally. Every internal road closed. We waited over an hour to move, then got stuck for two more hours," he told reporters. He added that candidates' promises seemed to lack substance given these disruptions.
The election campaigning in Pune has highlighted a significant gap between political promises and ground reality. As candidates pledge to solve infrastructure problems, their campaign methods ironically create the very issues they vow to address, leaving commuters frustrated and questioning the sincerity of election promises.
