Pune Municipal Corporation Reservation Draw Announced

PUNE, 11 NOV. The election process for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which has been stalled for the past three years, is now picking up pace. Following instructions from the State Election Commission, the PMC administration has begun preparations. It is expected that the elections will be held next year in January.

In line with this, the preliminary reservation lottery (draw) was held on Tuesday, November 11, at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, presided over by PMC Commissioner and Administrator Nawal Kishore Ram. The results of the draw have come as a shock to many veteran contenders, while some leaders may have to strategize by fielding their wives or relatives in the elections. The administrative rule was imposed after the term of corporators ended following the last election in 2017. With the completion of the reservation process, political activity is expected to intensify. Various political parties have begun ward-wise strategy planning, and there is strong discussion that the women's reservation will bring new faces into politics.

Ward-wise Picture is Clear

After the reservation announcement, the picture for each ward is now clear. Since four corporators will be elected from each ward, a panel of four candidates will be formed. The entire election campaign strategy will now be based on these panels. Currently, neither the Mahayuti nor the Maha Vikas Aghadi has made a clear decision on whether they will form an alliance. Therefore, interested candidates have independently prepared their campaign machinery, and aggressive campaigning has started on social media immediately after the reservation lottery was announced. The electoral atmosphere is completely charged across the city and suburbs. There are strong discussions about crores of rupees being spent in the suburbs. The intensity of the campaigning is expected to increase further once it is clear whether the parties will ally or contest separately.

Key Reservation Details

The Pune Metropolitan Region has a total of 41 wards (Prabhags), with four members elected from each ward (one ward has 5 members). This reservation process is based on the 2011 Census.

• A total of 166 corporators will be selected, of which 50% (83 seats) are reserved for Women.

• OBC category has 27% (44 seats) reserved, of which 22 will be for women.

• Scheduled Caste (SC) category has 22 seats reserved (11 for women).

• Scheduled Tribe (ST) category has 2 seats reserved (1 for woman).

• General category will have 97 seats, of which 49 seats are reserved for women.

Quote

"The PMC reservation draw process has been completed and this list will be submitted to the State Election Commission. The Commission will set the further schedule. The draft ward-wise reservation will be announced on November 17. Objections and suggestions can be registered until November 24. Objections can be submitted at the PMC Headquarters, the Election Office located in Savarkar Bhavan, and all regional offices. The final reservation list will be released by December 2. The reservation process is complete and the report will be submitted to the Commission. Citizens will be given an opportunity to register their objections."

— Nawal Kishore Ram, Commissioner, Pune PMC.

Pune Municipal Corporation – Ward-wise Reservation List