Quota draw alters Pune poll equations, forces leaders to rethink electoral plans

Draw for reservation for PMC elections has altered political equations across several wards, forcing many sitting corporators and senior leaders to rethink their electoral plans

PUNE: The draw for reservation for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, held on Tuesday at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, has altered political equations across several wards, forcing many sitting corporators and senior leaders to rethink their electoral plans.

Draw for reservation for PMC elections has altered political equations across several wards, forcing many sitting corporators and senior leaders to rethink their electoral plans. (MAHENDRA KOLHE/HT)

As per the draw, half of the total 165 seats have been reserved for women, in addition to the constitutional quotas for scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs), and other backward classes (OBCs). According to the notification, 22 seats have been reserved for SC candidates, 44 for OBCs, and two for STs, with 50% of these seats set aside for women.

Municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said that public objections and suggestions regarding the reservation list will be accepted from November 17 till November 24 at the PMC headquarters.

The draw has left several prominent leaders looking for alternatives after reservation of their traditional wards. Former deputy mayor Siddharth Dhende faced a setback as his Yerawada–Vishrantwadi ward was reserved for SC women. “I’m not worried about reservation. I’ve previously contested twice from the open category and won both the times. This time too, I will contest from an open category seat and win,” Dhende said.

Similarly, former leader of the house Shrinath Bhimale, who earlier contested as an OBC candidate, saw his ward reserved for the OBC women’s category. He promptly announced that he would contest from an open category in the Mukundnagar–Salisbury Park area.

In the Kamala Nehru ward, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ganesh Bidkar and a member of Ravindra Dhangekar’s family are among the likely contenders, though a direct contest appears unlikely given the alliance between the BJP and Shiv Sena.

Many sitting corporators are now considering fielding their spouses or family members from the reserved seats while others are mulling shifting to new wards. Soon after the draw, party workers and aspirants began sharing the reservation details of their wards on social media, with some even putting up hoardings across the city announcing their intent to contest.

The PMC conducted a live telecast of the lottery process, which was supervised by commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and additional commissioner Prithviraj B P. They explained the procedure to representatives before beginning the draw.

The PMC comprises 41 wards — 40 wards with four members each; and one (Balajinagar–Ambegaon–Katraj) with five members — making up a total of 165 corporators.