The process of filing nominations for the crucial Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections concluded in a state of disarray, with major political alliances unable to finalize their official lists of candidates until the final moments. The last day, December 30, 2025, was marked by frantic seat-sharing discussions and a lack of clarity on how many aspirants had actually been put in the fray for the civic body's 165 seats.
Alliance Discord and Secret Lists
At the heart of the confusion was the pre-poll alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The BJP, facing an overwhelming demand with over 2,500 aspirants vying for just 165 seats, chose to keep its candidate list completely under wraps. This strategic move was reportedly to prevent any internal rebellion from disappointed hopefuls.
The seat-sharing talks between the two allies were tense and went down to the wire. The BJP's offer of only 16 seats to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena was met with strong protest. In response, the Sena faction resorted to distributing official party letters to its aspirants in a somewhat random manner, with leaders claiming to have given out approximately 100 such letters.
Parties Admit to Hasty, Unrecorded Process
The chaotic process left party officials themselves in the dark. Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant admitted the lack of precise data, stating, "We don't know the exact number of letters issued to aspirants for contesting the PMC elections. This was done in haste so it will take time to find the exact number." He assured that the party would later withdraw candidates from seats where the BJP alliance partner had a strong candidate.
A similar scene played out in the camp of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP). Pradeep Deshmukh, the city NCP working president, confirmed they were still working to ascertain how many party letters were issued. "The letters were given in haste from last night so there is no ready record available with us till now," he said. A party leader indicated that the NCP (SP) had issued around 70 letters to its aspirants.
Opposition Bloc Also in Disarray
The opposition alliance comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was no better organized. A Congress leader revealed that all official candidate letters were issued within a short span on the last day, leading to a situation where no proper records were maintained initially due to the prevailing chaos. The parties are now in the process of compiling the information retrospectively.
The entire episode highlights the intense pressure and competitive scramble characterizing the run-up to the PMC elections, scheduled for early January 2026. With alliances strained and candidate lists unconfirmed until the eleventh hour, the stage is set for a fiercely contested battle for control of Pune's civic administration.
