The Bharatiya Janata Party has abruptly withdrawn the candidature of Pooja More-Jadhav for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections set for January 15, amid widespread backlash from party workers triggered by the resurfacing of controversial old video clips. More-Jadhav had been selected to contest from ward number 2 under the reserved quota allocated to alliance partner Republican Party of India (RPI), and she had already obtained the crucial AB form required for filing her nomination papers.

The crisis escalated rapidly when video footage from the period of the Maratha quota agitation began circulating widely within party networks and on social media platforms. In the clips, More-Jadhav is purportedly heard making sharp personal criticisms directed at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his wife Amruta Fadnavis, remarks that were deemed unacceptable by BJP cadres and leadership alike.

Union Minister and Pune's BJP Member of Parliament Murlidhar Mohol officially confirmed the revocation of her nomination, indicating that the party prioritized internal unity and ideological consistency in its decision-making process. The swift action reflects the BJP's sensitivity to any public statements that could be perceived as disloyalty toward senior leaders, especially in the context of upcoming local body polls.

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More-Jadhav responded by portraying herself as a target of coordinated online trolling and misinformation campaigns, asserting that false narratives were propagated to falsely suggest she does not align with the core principles of the BJP. She announced that, in light of the intense digital harassment, she consciously chose to withdraw from the electoral race to prevent further disruption.

In a further attempt to distance herself from the controversy, More-Jadhav claimed that the inflammatory comments captured in the videos were actually made by another woman and had been maliciously attributed to her through selective editing and deliberate misrepresentation by detractors. This episode serves as a cautionary example of how rapidly digital content can influence candidate selections and highlights the increasing scrutiny parties face in managing public perceptions during election cycles.

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