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PMC draft ward delimitation to be announced on Friday
Pune's draft ward delimitation will be announced Friday, impacting political prospects as boundaries shift ahead of upcoming municipal elections.
Pune: The draft ward delimitation for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will be announced on Friday, setting off anxious anticipation among political workers across parties whose electoral prospects hinge on constituency areas.
Ward delimitation determines the geographical boundaries of each ward and which slums, housing societies and localities are included in it. Political workers often view it as decisive, since their chances improve if their home turf or areas where they have nurtured connections fall within the ward.
A senior civic official on condition of anonymity said, “As per the state government’s schedule, the draft ward delimitation will be announced on Friday, August 22, by the election office. Later, the PMC IT department will publish the draft maps on its website.”
Political leaders said the stakes are particularly high this time, with municipal elections pending for the past three years. Republican Party of India leader Siddharth Dhende said, “Many new aspirants want to contest along with senior leaders. The ward structure is crucial since a candidate’s vote bank depends on it.”
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ujwal Keskar said, “Ward structures are sometimes drawn to favour certain candidates, whether from ruling or opposition parties. A candidate’s years of work in a particular area can be made or undone if that locality is added or removed from the ward.”
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has repeatedly accused the BJP of influencing the delimitation process to its advantage and even raised the matter with Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Prashant Jagtap said, “If the draft ward structures violate the election commission guidelines, we will register objections.”
