As boundaries for electoral wards are finalised, with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) publishing the delimitation map of city, the way has been paved for hectic political activity during the civic body elections likely to be held at the end of the year. Late on Friday night, the PMC published the electoral wards map for the forthcoming civic body polls. Boundaries have been drawn for 41 wards to elect 165 members for the next five years. Following the declaration of the draft delimitation map, the PMC had sought suggestions and objections from citizens. A public hearing was held for 5,922 applications but only 828 citizens appeared for the hearing. "The committee accepted 1,329 suggestions in totality and 69 in part," said a notification made public on Saturday. The final map has physical changes to 13 electoral wards and names of 8 have been changed, it said. As per the state government, the PMC will have a four member electoral panel in 40 wards and five member panel in one. Maximum applications were for Narhe-Ambegaon and the least has been for three wards Shaniwar Peth Mahatma Phule Mandai, Deccan Gymkhana Happy Colony and Karvenagar Hingane Happy Colony. Opposition parties Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) as well as partners of ruling Mahayuti alliance NCP and Shiv Sena had alleged that the delimitation was done in a way that favours the BJP. The Pune civic body is presently under administrative rule as there have been no elections held since the end of the previous term in 2022. The Supreme Court had directed the state government to hold elections as early as possible after which the election process have been started by the state government. In the previous term from 2017 to 2022, the BJP was single-handedly in power.
