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Results expected within four to five hours after counting begins
According to officials, wards with fewer counting rounds, such as ward 35 (Sun City–Manikbaug) and ward 30 (Karvenagar–Hingne), which have four rounds each, could see final results by around 2 pm
Voters in Pune will not have to wait long to know the outcome of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections 2026, with election authorities indicating that results are likely to start coming in within four to five hours after counting begins at 10 am on Friday.
According to officials, wards with fewer counting rounds, such as ward 35 (Sun City–Manikbaug) and ward 30 (Karvenagar–Hingne), which have four rounds each, could see final results by around 2 pm. In contrast, ward 38 (Balajinagar–Ambegaon–Katraj), which will elect five members, and ward 9 (Sus–Baner–Pashan) will have the highest number of rounds, 10 and nine respectively, with final results expected by around 4 pm.
A total of 1,153 candidates are contesting for 165 seats across 41 wards of the city’s civic body.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Omprakash Divate, additional municipal commissioner and election officer, said, “The counting process will start at 10 am on Friday. It will take four to five hours to get the results.”
As per State Election Commission guidelines, counting of postal ballots will be taken up first, followed by votes recorded on electronic voting machines (EVMs). Counting centres will follow strict procedural norms, with representatives of political parties and independent candidates present to observe the process.
The duration of counting will vary across wards depending on the number of rounds assigned. Officials said the Dhanakwadi–Sahakarnagar region, which includes three wards, will see the highest number of rounds, while wards such as Bibwewadi, Kasba Vishrambag and Kondhwa Yeolewadi are expected to conclude earlier.
There are 41 wards in the PMC, comprising 40 four-member wards and one five-member ward, from which 165 corporators will be elected. Officials estimate that each counting round will take around 35 to 45 minutes. In total, 222 counting rounds are required to complete the exercise, with overall counting likely to conclude by 3.30 to 4 pm.
The PMC administration has set up 15 counting centres across the city, equipped with nearly 335 counting tables. Of these, 38 tables have been allocated for postal ballots, while 297 tables will be used for EVM counting.
Several officials and staff have been deployed to ensure a smooth and transparent counting process.
With counting scheduled to begin early in the day, political parties, candidates and voters are keenly awaiting the final verdict in what is being seen as one of Pune’s most closely contested municipal elections in recent years.
