PMC elections likely after Diwali as state issues final delimitation schedule
With the Maharashtra government issuing a detailed timeline for the delimitation of electoral wards on Thursday, it is now evident that elections to municipal corporations across the state, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations will be held only after September 4, before which the final draft for restructured wards to be published.
This effectively places the likely poll window in the post-Diwali period, as the festive season falls in October this year.
The state urban development department recently finalised and notified the schedule for preparing four-member wards in all municipal corporations. The final ward structure is expected to be published between August 29 and September 4, leaving a short window for the State Election Commission (SEC) to announce poll dates.
As per sources in the state government, civic elections are unlikely to be held during Diwali as urban voters tend to travel to their native towns during the festival.
'No party wants polling during Diwali. The likely window is either before or after the festival. But given the delimitation timeline, post-Diwali elections appear more feasible,' said a senior official from PMC. Diwali this year comes on October 21.
Following the Supreme Court's recent directives to hold long-delayed local body elections without further delay, the state government has moved to complete the delimitation process swiftly.
Another senior Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) official requesting anonymity said, 'The civic machinery will complete the work within the given timeline. Since the four-member ward structure was used during the 2017 civic polls, major changes may not be needed in the old city limits. Only the newly merged villages will see some redrawing of boundaries.'
In the previous elections, Pune had a total of 41 four-member panels (totaling 164 corporators). However, the merger of 34 villages in 2021 is expected to slightly alter this composition.
The delimitation exercise will involve ground verification, the use of satellite maps, and a round of public consultation. The draft structure will be open for suggestions and objections in late July, before being finalised by early September.
Schedule for forming four-member wards
Formation of wards: June 11 to June 16
Draft structuring of wards: June 17 to July 10
Population verification: June 17–18
Site visits: June 19–23
Ward maps using Google Maps: June 24–30
On-ground verification of boundaries: July 1–3
Committee to sign draft maps: July 4–7
Submission of draft to SEC: July 8–10
Publication of draft and feedback window: July 22–31
Hearings on objections: August 1–11
Preparation of final structure: August 12–18
Final publication of ward structure: August 29 to September 4
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