Political parties in Pune are gearing up for an intense final push as the campaign period for the crucial civic polls enters its last fortnight. With the public campaign set to conclude on January 13, just two days before voting on January 15, major players are rolling out aggressive daily schedules packed with rallies, foot marches, and local gatherings.
Star Campaigners Take Centre Stage
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to spearhead its charge. The party plans to organize public meetings addressed by Fadnavis across all eight assembly segments within the city. A BJP leader indicated that while the final campaign blueprint is being prepared, the picture will solidify by Friday, the last day for withdrawal of nominations. Campaigning is expected to pick up significant pace from the coming weekend. The party has already flagged off campaign vehicles and inaugurated a media centre, with campaign material being distributed to candidates.
On the other side, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will heavily rely on Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is set to lead the overall campaign effort. He will be joined by NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule and other senior leaders from both NCP factions. The party has begun organizing ward-wise meetings of workers and supporters, with events already held in areas like Baner-Balewadi and planned for Khadakwasla. Communication kiosks are being established in every ward, and the party's civic poll manifesto is slated for release soon.
Alliances and Campaign Strategies
The electoral landscape sees the NCP and NCP (SP) contesting together, while the BJP is likely to ally with the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) have finalized their seat-sharing agreement. The Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) has distributed around 150 A and B forms to its candidates, though its formal alliance pact with the BJP remains to be finalized. Nonetheless, party leaders confirmed that Eknath Shinde is certain to campaign extensively in the city.
Sources from major parties acknowledge that the limited timeline poses a significant challenge for both parties and individual candidates. While plans for large-scale rallies by senior leaders are being finalized, the focus is also shifting to granular, ward-level campaigns that are expected to commence in the next few days. These will include bike rallies, padyatras (foot marches), and intimate corner meetings to connect directly with voters.
As the political temperature rises in Pune, the next two weeks will be decisive, with parties pulling out all stops to sway the electorate before the city heads to the polls on January 15.
