Overview
- Union minister and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol said the party has withdrawn the Ward No. 2 nomination, with Pooja More also announcing she would step aside.
- Party workers had campaigned against her selection after videos resurfaced of her remarks from Kashmir following the Pahalgam attack and earlier criticism of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
- More said she faced online trolling and claimed some remarks were misattributed, while asserting she remains a BJP worker committed to Hindutva.
- At an emotional press conference, she explained that her initial reaction to the Pahalgam attack changed after meeting victims and locals, and she said a photo with Rahul Gandhi was taken during the Bharat Jodo Yatra to submit a farmers’ memorandum.
- Background videos in circulation also highlighted her distributing 5,000 kg of chicken in July, and prior reports note she contested the 2024 Georai assembly race on a Maharashtra Swarajya Party ticket.