Mumbai: Federal Minister of State (MoS) Mridhar Mohol was a wrestler earlier than changing into a politician. Now a frontrunner who has risen from simply RSS work card Now nearly the face of the Pune Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP), it could want to return to its roots. Solely this time, Mohol finds himself sparring not in a wrestling ring however within the political enviornment, grappling with one controversy after one other that threatens to tarnish the picture he has cultivated for himself in Pune.
The newest controversy over a controversial land deal is intertwined with alliance politics and anger within the Jain neighborhood, the Bharatiya Janata Get together’s staunchest help base in Maharashtra, making it troublesome for the social gathering to hurry to Mohol’s protection.
Dispute focuses on sale of prime actual property in Pune—Seth Hirachand Nemchand Smarak Belief (SHNT) Jain Boarding Home in Pune’s Mannequin Colony, Shivajinagar—A personal contractor, Gokhale Landmarks LLP, was employed.
Jain leaders and political opponents declare that Mohol was beforehand a companion within the building firm and used his affect to facilitate the sale to the corporate at a throwaway worth. Nonetheless, developer Vishal Gokhale withdrew from the contract, citing moral and ethical issues. Gokhale additionally mentioned he didn’t need to upset the Jain neighborhood.
Mohol insisted that the allegations towards him had been unfounded.
The primary salvo towards Mohol was fired by Kolhapur farm chief Raju Shetty, himself a Jain, adopted by Ravindra Dhangekar, Pune chief of the Shiv Sena, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Get together. The Jain neighborhood additionally staged protests towards 50-year-old Mohor final week.
Forward of the upcoming municipal polls, the BJP has discovered itself trapped. On the one hand there may be the load of alliance and on the opposite there may be the danger of alienating the Jain neighborhood. That is one motive why CM Devendra Fadnavis, who’s near Mohol, didn’t rush to defend him.
“Until the settlement was scrapped, it was not doable for the BJP to return to his protection instantly. It isn’t that they’ve deliberately abandoned him. They had been simply ready to see if the controversy subsides,” political analyst Abhay Deshpande informed ThePrint.
“Mohol is near Fadnavis. However on the similar time, the Bharatiya Janata Get together additionally didn’t need to disrupt the Jain neighborhood,” he added.
Furthermore, with the BJP tightening its grip on the stronghold of Thane Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, the Shiv Sena seems to be utilizing Dhangekar to nook the BJP in Pune. Dhangekar’s fixed assaults have created pressure throughout the Mahayuti, and the Bharatiya Janata Get together management has referred to as for Shinde to be reined in. “I’ll discuss to Mr. Dangekar and ask him to be affected person. But when we have now to take motion towards Mr. Dangekar, what is going to occur to Navi Mumbai? Everyone knows who began it,” Industries Minister Uday Samman informed the media final week in a covert assault on Bharatiya Janata Get together minister Ganesh Naik, who’s focusing on Shinde in Thane and Navi. Mumbai. The BJP needs to strengthen its maintain in Thane and Navi Mumbai, the place each the Sena and the BJP have vote banks.
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Controversy shatters picture
Mridhar Mohol’s rise within the political world has been exceptional. He began working as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) employee on the age of 12 and later joined the BJP in 1996.
All through his three-decade-long political profession, he has held many necessary roles throughout the tBJP, together with basic secretary of the social gathering’s Maharashtra state unit. He first turned a director of the company in 2002. With a Maratha face, he was groomed by the social gathering and appointed because the everlasting chairman of the Pune Municipal Company earlier than changing into mayor in 2019.
He held the place till 2022. The social gathering management has given him a ticket to contest the coveted Pune Lok Sabha seat in 2024. This was his first parliamentary election and he gained comfortably. He was then appointed as a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cupboard.
He defeated Congress candidate Ravindra Dangekar by a margin of 1,23,038 votes. Dhangekar has now defected to the ruling Mahayuti faction, Shiv Sena.
Mohol’s father, who hails from Pune’s Mulshi taluka, migrated to town looking for his kids’s schooling and higher job alternatives. He studied and graduated in Arts from Shivaji College, Kolhapur. Fondly generally known as Murli Anna, he’s additionally a ‘nationwide stage wrestler’.
Over time, Mohol has cultivated a picture of a complicated, educated and younger face for the Pune Bharatiya Janata Get together. For probably the most half, his profession was with out controversy. Nonetheless, about two weeks in the past, the incident on the Jain boarding home got here to mild, and that picture got here crashing down.
Earlier this 12 months, Seth Hirachand Nemachand Samarak Belief negotiated a land take care of Gokhale Landmarks for a 3.5-acre plot in Pune’s Mannequin Colony. It features a Jain boarding hostel and the Bhagwan Mahavir Digambar Jain Temple. This facility was inbuilt 1958 for underprivileged college students. The supervisor has determined to promote the property because the hostel is dilapidated. In line with the board, the decision was handed on December 16, 2024, and a newspaper commercial inviting bidders was revealed 4 days later.
In January 2025, Gokhale Landmarks emerged as the best bidder at Rs 230 million. The petition was instantly submitted to the Charity Fee in February and authorized in April 2025. The ultimate sale occurred on October eighth.
Political opponents have accused Mr. Mohol of utilizing his affect to safe a take care of Gokhale Landmarks, additionally at a throwaway worth. In line with Mohol’s affidavit to the EC, he was a companion in two Gokhale restricted legal responsibility partnerships (LLPs) however withdrew from each in November 2024, a lot earlier than the sale deeds had been accomplished.
“There have been two LLPs with Gokhale and each had been partnership corporations. In 2023 Vishal Gokhale shaped two LLPs. In 2024 I withdrew my title from the partnership. I resigned on November 25, 2024 At the moment, there was not a single rupee transaction between us. I withdrew my title from the partnership 11 months earlier than the sale deed of the property was finalized by the builder and the true property agent,” Mohol informed the media.
“Subsequently, the allegations towards me are baseless. It’s disheartening to see such false allegations being made towards me,” he added.
In the meantime, the Jain neighborhood lobbied the Bombay HC to oppose the deal. Final week, when Mohol went to satisfy Jain Muni Acharya Shri Guptinandji Maharaj, neighborhood members criticized Gherao. He promised that the problem could be resolved by November 1.
On October 27, Mohol went to the airport to greet Union Minister Amit Shah, who had arrived in Mumbai for an occasion. The identical evening, the development firm despatched an e mail to the Jain Board of Administrators saying it was withdrawing from the contract.
Different controversies
Aside from the land dispute, Dhangekar has raised different allegations towards Mohol in reference to the Balbharati-Paud Phata street that passes by way of Vetal Tekdi, the final inexperienced bastion of Mohol metropolis. He claimed that Mohol used his affect as mayor to assist builders develop tasks in environmentally delicate areas.
It additional alleged that Mohol used to drive a white Innova Crysta with official authorities plates of Pune Municipal Company when he was mayor.
He claimed that the automobile didn’t belong to Mohol nor was it an official automobile of the Pune Municipal Company, however belonged to a Kotold builder named Badekar, who got here second in an public sale to purchase a Jain hostel.
“Is it moral for a mayor to make use of a personal businessman’s automobile whereas holding the constitutional put up of mayor of Pune Municipal Company?” he added.
Over the previous few days, the individuals of Pune have seen mounting proof of the involvement of Pune Municipal Councilor and Union Minister of State Muralidhar Mohol within the Jain hostel buy case. However they nonetheless say that every one this can be a coincidence.
I wish to present some info: Mohol is a member of parliament… pic.twitter.com/01zmvCUrnj
— Ravindra Dhangekhar Official (@Dhangekarravi) October 23, 2025
“Dhangekar has fought with Mohol within the Lok Sabha and they’re opponents in Pune. Apart from, Dangekar has private points and that may be the rationale why he’s focusing on Mohol,” Deshpande defined.
(Edited by Sague Kitty)
