Pune, 9th January 2026: Ahead of the Pune Civic Polls, the Congress party on Thursday released its election charter titled ‘Pune First’, promising relief from pothole-ridden roads, traffic congestion, water inequality, and pollution.
The party also pledged to strengthen civic schools, public transport, and infrastructure, while positioning Pune as a major tourism hub.
The charter was released in the presence of senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, along with former minister and Pune district in-charge Satej Patil. City Congress president Arvind Shinde and other party leaders were also present.
Through this document, Congress stressed the developmental work it carried out earlier in the civic body and clearly listed its priorities for the future. Addressing the gathering, Patil said that the current ruling leaders have failed to speak honestly about Pune’s water crisis, forcing citizens to approach the National Green Tribunal for adequate supply.
He accused the BJP of limiting itself to announcements without completing projects on the ground. He said the party’s central goal would be to put Pune’s interests first and assured voters that Congress would stand by its promises if given five years in power.
On seat sharing, the party clarified that there are no differences within the alliance. Congress will contest 98 seats, while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) will fight on 76 seats. Decisions on the remaining few contested seats are expected soon.
The Congress charter also recalls major initiatives undertaken during its previous tenure, including large-scale infrastructure projects under JNNURM, the foundation of the Metro, expansion of BRT routes, city-wide road development for national sports events, phased water supply schemes, sewage projects, creation of public gardens, sanitation facilities in slum areas, and tax relief for IT companies.
Looking ahead, Congress has promised equal water supply across the city, solutions to traffic congestion, free PMPML travel for women, completion of missing link roads, improvement of key arterial roads, expansion of the PMPML fleet with electric buses, ward-level waste management, stricter action against criminal gangs, and relief in property tax for small homeowners.
The party said its focus remains on governance, delivery, and restoring trust in local self-government, with ‘Pune First’ as its guiding principle.