Pune, 30 August 2025: The draft ward structure announced for the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections has received only 380 objections so far, a sharp drop compared to the more than 2,500 objections filed during the 2022 exercise.
Most objections have come from Kharadi and Sinhgad Road areas. In Kharadi’s Thite Vasti alone, 130 residents submitted identical objections. Citizens have mainly raised concerns about wards cutting across natural boundaries, housing societies being split into two wards, oversized wards, and demands for renaming wards to reflect local identity.
The State Election Commission released the draft ward plan on August 22, allowing citizens to submit objections and suggestions until September 4. Some political leaders argue that the festive season has limited participation. They also allege that the new ward design favours the BJP. NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule has urged the Commission to extend the deadline to allow more citizens to respond.
Meanwhile, the civic administration has started preparing for the elections. The PMC has sought 17 chief election officers and 34 assistant officers from the Divisional Commissioner’s office.
Pune city currently has 41 wards, of which 40 are four-member wards and one is a five-member ward. The final ward structure will be notified before October 4, after which the election process is expected to gather pace.
