Both Shiv Senas, NCP not present at SIR meeting in Pune; parties say unaware

Representatives from the BJP, NCP (Sharad Pawar), NPP and ISLAM party were present at the meeting, according to a press note by the District Information Office.

3 min readPuneApr 2, 2026 10:23 PM IST

The Maharashtra Congress has previously demanded that the SIR be conducted over the next few years as there were no elections due.

Major political parties like the Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP were not present at a preparatory meeting for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) held at the Pune District Collectorate on Thursday. The SIR is set to commence in Maharashtra this month and the meeting was held by District Collector and election officer Jitendra Dudi. City presidents of all three parties told The Indian Express that they were unaware of the meeting being held. All parties had been sent invitations for the meeting, a senior election official confirmed.

Representatives from the BJP, NCP (Sharad Pawar), NPP and ISLAM party were present at the meeting, according to a press note by the District Information Office. Congress’ Rahul Sharma, heading the party’s SIR team in the district, told The Indian Express that he reached the meeting late due to heavy rains in Pune.

A senior election officer told The Indian Express, “SIR meetings have been held twice or thrice now. Other than BJP nobody (from major parties) turns up. Five BJP members and one NCP (SP) representative attended today. We are telling the parties time and again to attend the meetings, appoint your BLOs, and be ready for the process. But they don’t even turn up for the meetings. If they have some doubts or some voters are being deleted without reason, then they should prepare now.”

In response, Arvind Shinde, Pune city president of the Congress, said, “We are meeting with Kalaskar ma’am (Deputy District Election Officer) everyday and we have selected 24 representatives for the SIR. We have asked for BLO lists and this weekend our machinery is ready for the mapping process that is going to take place. Sitting in the meeting was not the important thing, we are meeting them everyday. They are repeating what we have been told before. And today due to the rain we couldn’t attend it.”

The Maharashtra Congress has previously demanded that the SIR be conducted over the next few years as there were no elections due.

City presidents of other parties said they were not aware of the meeting. NCP city president Sunil Tingre, Shiv Sena city president Pramod Bhangire, and Shiv Sena (UBT) city head Gajanan Tharkude all told The Indian Express that they were unaware of the meeting.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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