Housing societies in Pimpri-Chinchwad to field their own candidates in municipal elections

The meeting highlighted concerns over the ineffective utilisation of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC’s) vast financial resources, despite being one of Asia’s leading municipal corporations

PUNE: In an unprecedented move, housing societies in Pimpri-Chinchwad have decided to field their own candidates in the upcoming municipal corporation elections in the event mainstream political parties fail to nominate honest, qualified and capable candidates. The decision was taken by the Chikhali-Moshi Pimpri-Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation (CMPCHSF) due to dissatisfaction with candidates fielded by mainstream political parties and general apathy towards residents of housing societies. The federation, which has over 2,000 housing societies as members, took the unanimous decision during a meeting held at Borhadewadi on Sunday. Representatives from all member-housing societies were present at the event, reflecting the growing demand for citizens’ active involvement in city governance.

Members highlighted the lack of citizens’ participation in key decision-making processes related to urban planning, infrastructure, and policy formation. (HT)

Sanjeevan Sangale, chairman, CMPCHSF, said, “Though our federation is non-political, 90% of the residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad are society members who want their voices heard in the decision-making process. We will conduct a citywide consultation to gather the citizens’ opinions before taking a final call on contesting the elections.”

The meeting highlighted concerns over the ineffective utilisation of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC’s) vast financial resources, despite being one of Asia’s leading municipal corporations. Members highlighted the lack of citizens’ participation in key decision-making processes related to urban planning, infrastructure, and policy formation. During the meeting, housing society members who constitute a significant portion of the city’s taxpaying population said that they deserve a decisive voice in shaping the city’s development. Many suggested that instead of remaining a spectator, the federation should play an active role in municipal governance. The federation plans to hold interactive ‘dialogue tours’ across various housing societies in Chikhali, Moshi, Charholi, and other areas of the twin city. These consultations will help gauge public sentiment and guide the federation’s next course of action.

Sangale said, “We are not rushing into politics. We will first visit every society, hold discussions, and understand the citizens’ opinions. But if the political parties fail to field clean and capable candidates, we will not hesitate to field our own representatives.”