A dramatic scene unfolded at the Pune Municipal Corporation's Dhankawadi-Sahakarnagar ward office on December 31, turning a routine election form scrutiny into a bizarre incident of alleged document destruction. Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Kamble, upon discovering his party had issued the crucial 'AB form' signifying official candidacy to another aspirant, reportedly snatched the document, tore it up, and according to police, swallowed the pieces.
The Scrutiny Day Altercation
The incident occurred after the scrutiny process for the upcoming January 15 civic body elections was completed. Candidates were permitted to view the nomination papers submitted by their rivals. Uddhav Kamble, who heads the Shiv Sena in Pune's Parvati Assembly constituency, requested to see the form of the other candidate from his party for Ward 34 (Padmavati area).
Election official Supriya Karmarkar stated that when a staffer was showing Kamble the application of the other candidate, Kamble snatched it, tore it, and ran towards a washroom while allegedly starting to swallow the paper. He then locked himself inside. Senior Inspector Rahul Khilare of Bharti Vidyapeeth police station confirmed the form was not recovered and is believed to have been destroyed.
Police Case and Conflicting Claims
The police have registered a case against Uddhav Kamble under BNS Sections 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from duty) and 324 (mischief causing loss or damage). A notice has been served to him, and investigations are ongoing.
Kamble, however, has denied swallowing the form of his rival, Macchindra Dhawale. He admitted to tearing the document in a fit of emotion. "I will not lie, I am a hardcore Sainik. I accept that I tore the form because I became emotional after learning that someone else had submitted it," Kamble told reporters on January 2, 2026. He questioned Dhawale's contributions to the party, asserting his own long-standing work.
Party Admits Error, Backs Kamble
The Shiv Sena's Pune leadership has conceded a significant administrative blunder. The party acknowledged it inadvertently issued the AB forms to both Uddhav Kamble and Macchindra Dhawale for the same ward. Sena's Pune district president, Nilesh Mazire, clarified that Kamble is the official candidate and a letter to this effect has been sent to the election office.
"We accept that a mistake happened. The official candidate is Uddhav Kamble. We don't know anything about the other candidate or how he got the AB form," Mazire said, adding that the party will investigate the distribution error. Pune city president Nana Bhangire also termed the dual issuance as inadvertent.
Meanwhile, Dhawale claimed his form was submitted first, between 2 and 2:30 PM on December 30, and he was asked to submit a photocopy after the original was destroyed. The election officials have not explained how forms from two candidates of the same party were accepted during the initial scrutiny process.
