In a striking pattern, Punekars have elected new, young faces as their representatives in three out of the eight Assembly constituencies in the city. Medha Kulkarni (41) in Kothrud, Yogesh Tilekar (40) in Hadapsar, and the youngest, Jagdish Mulik (33) in Vadgaon Sheri are all first-time MLAs with diverse profiles.

Victory lap: Newly elected BJP MLA Yogesh Tilekar celebrates his victory with his supporters outside FCI in Koregaon Park

First-timers they may be, but all three have strong political backgrounds. Kulkarni and Tilekar are both sitting corporators in Pune Municipal Corporation, while Mulik is the general secretary of the BJP’s city unit and also has a corporator for a brother.
Kulkarni has a strong academic background, with top ranks in BSc (Botany), BEd and MEd, and was a college professor before she turned to active politics.