Ravindra Dhangekar

Ravindra Dhangekar is an Indian National Congress politician from Pune, currently serving as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Kasba Peth Assembly constituency. He won the seat in a by-election in March 2023, which was necessitated by the death of the incumbent BJP MLA Mukta Tilak. Dhangekar's victory on a Congress ticket was seen as a significant upset, ending the BJP's 28-year hold on the constituency.

Following his victory in the by-election, Dhangekar was chosen as the Indian National Congress candidate for the Pune Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections. He competed against Murlidhar Mohol of the BJP but was not successful.

Early Life
Ravindra Hemraj Dhangekar was born in Pune, Maharashtra. He completed his education up to the 8th standard at Motoba School in Nathachiwadi, Daund, Pune, in 1985. Dhangekar hails from the OBC community, which constitutes a significant portion of the population in the Kasba Peth constituency.

Political Career
Dhangekar's political career has seen several transitions across different parties.

Dhangekar's political career has seen several transitions across different parties.

Early Years with Shiv Sena
Ravindra Dhangekar's political journey began with the Shiv Sena party. He was inspired by the speeches of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and entered politics under the mentorship of senior Shiv Sena leader Deepak Paigude. Dhangekar was first elected as a corporator in the Pune Municipal Corporation in 1997.

Transition to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
In 2006, when Raj Thackeray split from the Shiv Sena to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Dhangekar, along with Paigude, joined the new party. As an MNS candidate in the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections, he contested from the Kasba Peth constituency and gave a tough fight to the BJP's Girish Bapat, losing by a margin of around 8,000 votes. Dhangekar contested the 2014 Assembly elections from Kasba Peth again on an MNS ticket but lost amid the Modi wave.

Brief Independent Candidature and Joining Congress
Feeling sidelined within the MNS, Dhangekar quit the party in 2017 and briefly contested as an independent in the Pune civic polls with Congress support, defeating BJP heavyweight Ganesh Bidkar. Later in 2017, he officially joined the Indian National Congress party. He aimed to contest the 2019 Assembly elections from Kasba Peth, but the Congress fielded Arvind Shinde instead, leading to a BJP win by Mukta Tilak.

2023 By-Election Victory
Dhangekar's significant achievement came in 2023 when he won the Kasba Peth Assembly by-election on a Congress ticket, ending the BJP's 28-year stronghold in the constituency. His victory was considered a significant upset for the BJP.

2024 General Elections
Following his by-election win, the Congress named Dhangekar as its candidate from the Pune Lok Sabha constituency for the 2024 general elections. However, he lost to the BJP's Murlidhar Mohol in the Lok Sabha polls.