Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation polls: Final voters’ list published, but uncertainty remains on ward system

Polls officials in Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation are hoping that the government will not change the three-member ward system to a four-member system in view of the Supreme Court ruling allowing 27% reservation to OBCs.

3 min readPuneJul 22, 2022 12:44 PM IST

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The panchayat polls will be a major local political contest before the Assembly polls scheduled for October 2024, soon after the next Lok Sabha elections. (File)

Even as the election department of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has published the final voters’ list for the upcoming civic elections, uncertainty still continues to prevail over whether the polls will be held on the basis of three-member wards or four-member wards. As per a Supreme Court directive, the State Election Commission will announce the civic polls in two weeks.

The final voters’ list was uploaded by the PCMC election wing late on Thursday evening. However, several citizens could not see the list due to a technical glitch which, civic officials said, was fixed by Friday morning. Ahead of publishing the final list, the PCMC election department received 8,147 objections to its draft voters’ list published on June 23.

“The final voters’ list has been published with as many as 84,000 voters shifted to the correct ward or panel,” PCMC election department head Balasaheb Khandekar told The Indian Express Friday.

Khandekar said that though 8,147 objections were received, the letters contained the names of more than one or in some cases, hundreds of voters. “These voters sought a change in their ward as per their address. A majority of them live on the border of two wards. They argued that they lived in a particular ward, but they were given voting rights in the neighbouring ward and sought a correction. Accordingly, we have made the change. As many as 84,000 voters have been shifted to their rightful ward,” he said.

Khandekar said that though the figure seems high, it is only five per cent of the total number of voters, which is 14,88,129.

Additional municipal commissioner Jeetendra Wagh supervised the entire exercise. “As many as 1,000 staff members were put on duty to redress the objections raised by voters. Field surveys were done by the staff to find out where exactly the voter lived, after which panchnamas were done,” an official said.

Though the final voters’ list has been uploaded, PCMC election officials are now keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that the new government would not change the three-member ward system to a four-member system in view of the Supreme Court ruling on Thursday allowing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs. “If the new government adopts a four-member ward system, then the entire exercise will have to be revised, including boundary demarcation and preparation of voters’ list. As per our information, the proposal is before the Cabinet,” Khandekar said.

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MLC and BJP women’s wing chief Uma Khapre said, “The issue is under consideration of the new government. So far, no decision has been taken by the new government whether to revert to the four-member system or retain the three-member system which was announced by the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadhi coalition) regime.”

The BJP’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief Mahesh Landge said, “Whether it is a three or four-member ward, it won’t make any difference to us. But it is up to the government to take the final call.”

Manoj Dattatrye More

Manoj Dattatrye More is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, having been with the publication since 1992. Based in Pune, he is a veteran journalist with a 33-year career that spans editorial desk work, investigative reporting, and political analysis. Professional Legacy Experience: He spent his first 16 years on the editorial desk before moving into active field reporting. He has written over 20,000 stories, including more than 10,000 bylined articles. Impact Journalism: He is widely respected for "campaign-style" reporting that leads to tangible social change. Road Safety: His decade-long campaign regarding the dangerous state of the Pune-Mumbai highway in Khadki resulted in a ₹23 crore reconstruction project in 2006, which dramatically reduced fatalities. Environmental Protection: His reports against tree cutting on the Pune-Mumbai and Pune-Nashik highways saved approximately 2,000 trees. Anti-Corruption: During the COVID-19 pandemic, he exposed a scam where doctors were being asked to pay bribes for government jobs, resulting in them being hired without payment. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Manoj More's recent work focuses heavily on the shifting political landscape of Maharashtra and civic governance in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area: 1. Political Shifts & Alliances "Ajit Pawar's NCP continues domination in Pune, wins 10 of 17 local bodies" (Dec 21, 2025): A major report on the local self-government election results, detailing the NCP’s stronghold in Baramati, Indapur, and Lonavala. "BJP ropes in 13 ex-corporators, deals major blow to NCP" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant political defection in Pimpri-Chinchwad as the BJP gears up for civic polls. "Congress opts for solo BMC run as alliance talks with Sena (UBT) collapse" (Dec 17, 2025): Covering the breakdown of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) talks for the Mumbai civic elections. "NCP(SP)'s Rahul Kalate, Sena (UBT) leader Sanjog Waghere set to join BJP" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing high-profile party-hopping ahead of the municipal elections. 2. Civic & Administrative Accountability "PCMC draws ire for issuing tenders worth Rs 250 crore just before poll code" (Dec 17, 2025): An investigative piece on the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s last-minute spending spree before election restrictions. "93 killed in 76 accidents in five years: Bypass service roads in Pune remain undeveloped for 18 yrs" (Nov 16, 2025): A critical look at the long-delayed infrastructure projects contributing to fatalities on Pune’s bypass roads. 3. Social & Labor Issues "As state says TCS has laid off 376 employees: FITE flags figures, say nearly 2,500 were forced to quit" (Dec 11, 2025): Investigating conflicting reports regarding IT sector layoffs in Maharashtra. "Maharashtra govt move to 'downgrade' Aadhaar cards" (Nov 30, 2025): Reporting on the state’s decision to require additional documents alongside Aadhaar to combat identity misuse. Signature Beat Manoj More is the definitive voice on Pimpri-Chinchwad, an industrial hub he has covered for three decades. His reporting is characterized by its aggressive stance against local "gondaism" (thuggery) and a relentless focus on civic infrastructure—choked drains, garbage management, and public transport. X (Twitter): @manojmore91982 ... Read More

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