Pune, 22 August 2025: The draft ward structure for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has been delayed once again. Although it was expected on Friday morning (August 22), the Election Commission has not finished its review, and the announcement may now come by Friday evening or even Saturday (August 23), according to officials.
The civic elections, originally due in March 2022, have been pending for more than three years. During this period, the PMC has been under administrative rule. Following the Supreme Court’s order to hold local body polls within four months, the state government directed all corporations to prepare fresh ward structures.
Pune submitted its plan to the Urban Development Department on August 4, which later sent it to the Election Commission for final scrutiny.
As per the election schedule, objections and suggestions to the draft can be filed between August 22 and September 4. Hearings will take place from September 5 to 12, and the revised plan will be forwarded to the Urban Development Department between September 13 and 15. The final ward structure is expected to be announced between October 3 and 6.
The delay has left aspiring candidates anxious. With no elections for over three years, many former corporators and new entrants have been preparing through outreach and public programs. The draft will finally give them clarity on their constituencies and determine their political strategies.
Meanwhile, political tensions are running high. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has accused the ruling BJP of shaping the ward boundaries to its advantage, particularly in central areas where three-member wards are likely. The final map, once announced, is expected to significantly alter the political equations in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.