Former wrestler now grappling with Jain land row

Mumbai: Union Minister of State (MoS) Murlidhar Mohol was a wrestler before he entered active politics. Now, the leader who rose through the ranks from being just another RSS karyakarta to now almost the face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Pune, may have to go back to his roots. Only this time, instead of a wrestling ring, Mohol finds himself sparring in the political arena as he grapples with one controversy after another that threatens to undermine the image he has cultivated for himself in Pune.

The latest controversy over a contentious land deal is intertwined with alliance politics and the ire of the Jain community, which has been a most steadfast support base of the BJP in Maharashtra, making it difficult for the party to rush to Mohol’s defence.

Jain leaders and political rivals allege Mohol used his influence to facilitate the sale to the firm at a throwaway price, as he was earlier a partner in the builder’s firms. However, developer Vishal Gokhale has since pulled out of the agreement, citing ethical and moral concerns. Gokhale also said that he did not want to upset the Jain community.

Mohol has termed the allegations against him baseless.

The first salvo against Mohol was fired by farm leader Raju Shetti of Kolhapur, himself a Jain, followed by another by Ravindra Dhangekar, the Pune leader of the Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP. The Jain community too staged protested against 50-year-old Mohol last week.

Ahead of the upcoming local body polls, BJP finds itself trapped. On one side is the weight of the alliance, and on the other the risk of alienating the Jain community. This is one reason why CM Devendra Fadnavis, to whom Mohol is close, did not rush to his defence.

“It was not possible for the BJP to defend him immediately unless the deal was scrapped. Not that the BJP deliberately abandoned him; it’s just that they waited to see if the controversy would die down,” political analyst Abhay Deshpande told ThePrint.

“Mohol is close to Fadnavis. But, at the same time, the BJP did not want to upset the Jain community as well,” he added.

Moreover, with the BJP tightening its grip over Thane, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s bastion, the Shiv Sena seems to be using Dhangekar to corner the BJP in Pune. Dhangekar’s constant attacks have created tensions within Mahayuti, prompting the BJP leadership to ask Shinde to rein him in. “I will speak to Dhangekar and ask him to remain patient. But if action has to be taken against Dhangekar, then what about Navi Mumbai? Everyone knows who started it,” Industries Minister Uday Samant told the media last week in a veiled attack on Ganesh Naik, a BJP minister targeting Shinde in Thane and Navi Mumbai. The BJP wants to strengthen itself in Thane and Navi Mumbai, where both Sena and BJP have a vote bank.

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Controversy shatters image

Murlidhar Mohol’s rise in politics has been striking. He began as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker at the age of 12 and later joined BJP in 1996.

Over his 30-year political career, he has held many key roles within tBJP, including general secretary of the party’s Maharashtra unit. He became a corporator for the first time in 2002. A Maratha face, he was groomed by the party and made standing committee chairman of the Pune Municipal Corporation before becoming mayor in 2019.

He served in the position until 2022. The party leadership gave him a ticket to contest the coveted Pune Lok Sabha seat in 2024. It was his maiden parliamentary election, and he win comfortably. He was then made a minister PM Narendra Modi’s cabinet.

He defeated Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar by 1,23,038 votes. Dhangekar has now switched sides to the Shiv Sena, which is part of the ruling Mahayuti.

Hailing from Mulshi taluka in Pune, Mohol’s father migrated to the city for his children’s education and better job opportunities. He studied and graduated in Arts from Shivaji University in Kolhapur. Fondly known as Murli Anna, he is also a ‘national-level wrestler’.

Over the years, Mohol cultivated the image of a sophisticated, educated and young face of the Pune BJP. For the most part, his career was free of controversy. However, that image was dented about two weeks ago when the Jain Boarding land case surfaced.

Earlier this year, the Seth Hirachand Nemachand Samarak Trust negotiated a land deal with Gokhale Landmarks for a 3.5-acre plot in Pune’s Model Colony, which includes a Jain boarding hostel and the Shri Bhagwan Mahavir Digambar Jain temple. This property was built in 1958 for underprivileged students. The trustees decided to sell the property as the hostel was in a dilapidated state. According to the board, a resolution was passed on 16 December, 2024, and a newspaper ad issued four days later, calling for bidders.

Gokhale Landmarks emerged as the highest bidder in January 2025 with a bid of Rs 230 crore. The petition was soon given to the Charity Commissioner in February, and approved in April 2025. The final sale was conducted on 8 October.

Political rivals have accused Mohol of using his influence to get Gokhale Landmarks the deal, and that too at a throwaway price. According to Mohol’s affidavit to the EC, he was a partner with two Gokhale Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs), but withdrew from both in November 2024, well before the sale deed was finalised.

“There were two LLPs with Gokhale, both were partnership firms. In 2023, Vishal Gokhale created two LLPs. In 2024, I withdrew my name from the partnership. I resigned on November 25, 2024. At that time, there was not a single rupee transaction between us. I withdrew my name from the partnership a good 11 months before the sale deed for the property was finalised by the builder and the trust,” Mohol told the media.

“And, therefore, the allegations against me are baseless. It is disheartening to see such false allegations being made against me,” he added

Meanwhile, the Jain community has approached the Bombay HC against the deal. Last week, members of the community gheraoed Mohol when he went to meet Jain Muni Acharya Shri Guptinandji Maharaj. He assured them the matter would be resolved by 1 November.

On 27 October, Mohol went to the airport to receive Union Minister Amit Shah, who landed in Mumbai for an event. The same night, the builders sent out an email to the Jain board trustees that they were withdrawing from the deal.

Other controversies

Apart from the land controversy, Dhangekar has levelled another allegation against Mohol in connection with the Balbharati-Paud Phata Road, which goes through Vetal Tekdi, the last green bastion in the city. He alleged that Mohol was instrumental in using his influence as a mayor to help builders develop a project in an environmentally sensitive zone.

Further, he also alleged that Mohol used a white Innova Crysta with an official government plate of the Pune Municipal Corporation when he was the mayor.

He claimed that the car did not belong to Mohol nor was it an official Pune Municipal Corporation vehicle, but it belonged to a Kothrud builder named Badhekar, who was in the second position in the auction to buy the Jain Hostel.

“While holding the constitutional post of Mayor in the Pune Municipal Corporation, is it ethical for the Mayor to use a private businessman’s vehicle?” he added.

पुणे शहराचे खासदार व केंद्रीय राज्यमंत्री मुरलीधर मोहोळ यांचा जैन होस्टेल खरेदी प्रकरणात सहभाग असल्याचे अनेक पुरावे पुणेकरांनी गेल्या काही दिवसात पाहिले आहेत. परंतु तरी देखील ते या सर्व गोष्टी योगायोग असलेले सांगतात.

मी आपणास काही माहिती देऊ इच्छितो,मोहोळ हे खासदार होण्याच्या… pic.twitter.com/01zmvCUrnj

— Ravindra Dhangekar Official (@DhangekarRavii) October 23, 2025

“Dhangekar had fought against Mohol in the Lok Sabha, and in Pune, they are competitors. Besides, there are personal issues of Dhangekar that could also be the reason why he is targeting Mohol,” explained Deshpande.

(Edited by Sugita Katyal)