Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil filed nomination papers for Kothrud Assembly constituency here on Thursday amid a show of strength.
Patil garlanded a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and then left for filing nomination papers with a huge motorbike rally.
He has replaced sitting BJP MLA Medha Kulkarni as the party's candidate in this Brahmin-dominated constituency, leading to angry reactions by local workers and also one Brahmin organisation.
Pune MP Girish Bapat and Kulkarni accompanied Patil as he filed his papers on Thursday.
"I am sure the people of Kothrud will support my candidature," Patil tweeted after filing his papers.
Kulkarni was reportedly disappointed after she was denied ticket to accommodate Patil. Posters had come up in the area demanding that a local candidate be given the ticket and not an "outsider".
Assembly elections will be held in Maharashtra on October 21.
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