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Pune grinds to a halt as weekend rallies find people stuck in logjams
Considering the election period, additional traffic police have been deployed across the city. No rallies or sabhas are allowed without prior permission, says officials
The last weekend before the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections saw large-scale political rallies, roadshows and public meetings held by nearly all major political parties, leading to logjams and bringing parts of the city to a standstill.
Campaigning by top leaders including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, local MPs, and party candidates resulted in traffic snarls across arterial roads, inconveniencing and frustrating Punekars no end.
On Saturday, a rally organised at Shanipar Chowk by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray/UBT) disrupted vehicular movement in the congested peth areas. The narrow roads in the locality witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours as police diverted vehicles to accommodate the political procession. On the same day, a massive rally led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde near Teen Hatti Chowk on Satara Road caused heavy congestion along one of Pune’s busiest corridors, impacting commuters travelling towards Katraj, Swargate, and the adjoining areas.
Friday evening, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar held a rally and public meeting at Narayan Peth, followed by a large sabha at Padmavati Chowk, Satara Road, on Saturday. Both events led to road closures and diversions during peak hours, straining the city’s already burdened traffic system. Meanwhile, a rally led by Pune MP and minister of state Murlidhar Mohol near Sonya Maruti Chowk, Laxmi Road, on Saturday further slowed down movement in the heart of Pune’s commercial zone, impacting traders and local residents.
Citizens expressed resentment over what they described as a complete disregard for the public. “Every election, it’s the same story. Politicians make promises of development but first, they paralyse the city. I was stuck for nearly two hours on Satara Road,” said Anil Meshra, a private company employee.
Sneha Chindhe, a college lecturer, said, “Weekend traffic is already bad, and these rallies made it impossible to step out. Emergency vehicles and public transport were also affected.”
Auto-rickshaw driver Ramesh Jadhav said, “Passengers were cancelling trips because roads were blocked. Our earnings suffer whenever these political rallies take place.”
On his part, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Himmat Jadhav, said, “Considering the election period, additional traffic police have been deployed across the city. No rallies or sabhas are allowed without prior permission. We are continuously monitoring the situation and making efforts to streamline traffic and reduce inconvenience to citizens during these days.”
Whereas Mohol said, “I understand that election activities can sometimes inconvenience citizens, and I sincerely apologise for that. However, elections are an important democratic process. We are coordinating with the traffic police to ensure minimum disruption, and our intention is never to trouble Punekars but to reach out to them with our vision for the city’s development.”
