Excitement is palpable across 23 recently merged areas of Pune as residents prepare to vote in their first-ever Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections. This historic poll marks a significant shift for these localities, which have long grappled with inadequate civic amenities despite their inclusion within the PMC's limits years ago.
Former Village Heads Step Into the Political Arena
The electoral battleground has seen a notable influx of experienced local leaders. At least three former sarpanches, four zilla parishad members, and former chairpersons of panchayat samitis have thrown their hats into the ring. United by a common agenda, they are campaigning on the promise of accelerated development for areas they say have been neglected.
These contestants have launched intensive campaigns, focusing heavily on door-to-door meetings to connect with voters and understand their persistent problems firsthand. The stakes are high, with more than 20 corporator seats up for grabs from wards covering these merged pockets, which are home to over five lakh residents and witnessing a constant population rise.
A Long-Standing Struggle for Basic Amenities
Contestants highlight a chronic lack of representation in the PMC as the root cause of stunted growth. They argue that insufficient funds have been allocated to these zones, which desperately require more attention and investment.
Snehal Dagade, a former sarpanch of Pisoli village contesting from the Undri-Mohammadwadi ward, emphasized the election's crucial nature. "Everyone is excited as they are going to vote for the first time after inclusion in PMC limits. We are looking for better civic services for merged areas as citizens are facing a lot of problems," Dagade stated.
Echoing this sentiment, Nivrutti Bandal, former sarpanch of Undri and an NCP candidate from the same ward, pinpointed inadequate water supply as a major challenge, especially for areas merged four years ago. "The issues are long pending and require concrete steps. We are constantly raising the problems before the civic authorities. After ongoing polls, all merged areas will get proper representation in PMC's general body," Bandal explained.
Delayed Polls and the Push for Infrastructure
The path to these elections has been winding. Vyankoji Khopade, former sarpanch of Gujar-Nimbalkarwadi area and a candidate from Katraj-Ambegaon ward, noted that while some areas were merged in 2021, elections were not held subsequently. The tenure of the PMC's general body ended in 2022, leaving these areas without formal representation for several years, further slowing the development of the city's peripheries.
The key demands resonating across campaigns include robust civic infrastructure to manage the swelling population, a better road network, and reasonable property taxes. The merged areas voting for the first time encompass Manjari, Wagholi, Khadakwasla-Shivane, Undri-Pisoli, Sus-Mahalunge-Bavdhan, and Lohegaon.
Besides former sarpanches, the contest also features former Zilla Parishad members vying for seats in wards like Wagholi, Lohegaon, Narhe-Dhayri, and Shivane-Khadakwasla. The collective hope is that this electoral exercise will finally bridge the gap between promise and delivery for lakhs of Pune's newest citizens.
