Huge surge in objections – Pune’s draft ward structure received 785 objections in a single day, taking the total to 1,382.
Political backlash – Opposition parties, as well as NCP and Shiv Sena leaders, allege the new boundaries benefit only the BJP.
Next steps – Citizens can file objections until September 4; hearings will be held from September 5 to 12.
Pune, 3rd September 2025: The draft ward structure prepared for the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections has sparked a massive wave of objections. On Monday, only 595 objections had been filed over ten days, but within a single day on Tuesday the figure shot up by 785, taking the total to 1,382.
The draft, announced by Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on August 22, allows objections until September 4. For this, PMC’s election branch and 15 regional offices have been accepting complaints and suggestions.
Political parties have strongly opposed the new layout. Leaders from the opposition, as well as ruling coalition partners NCP and Shiv Sena, claim that the design is skewed to benefit the BJP. Citizens have also raised concerns, arguing that the wards are too large geographically and demanding changes such as shifting regional offices and renaming certain wards.
The highest number of objections so far have come from Ward No. 3 (Viman Nagar–Lohegaon) with 370, followed by Ward No. 34 (Narhe–Vadgaon Budruk) with 125.
Only two days remain to register objections, and officials expect a sharp rise in the numbers as political parties mobilize their supporters. The state government has appointed senior bureaucrat V. Radha, Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department, to oversee the hearings on these objections, scheduled between September 5 and 12.
