Pune: Campaigning for the elections to the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic bodies, along with 27 other municipal corporations of Maharashtra, ended on Tuesday after two high-voltage weeks marked by rallies, roadshows and door-to-door drives by aspiring corporators.The loudest talking point came from the NCP manifesto for Pune which promised free Metro and PMPML bus rides and quickly set off a wave of chatter on the streets and also online. CM Devendra Fadnavis led the BJP’s counter to the NCP’s poll promise, calling it “unrealistic” and sharpening the exchange with NCP chief Ajit Pawar as the sparring even spilled into shayari from the stage. Despite being allies in the Mahayuti dispensation governing Maharashtra, NCP and BJP are pitted against each other on the civic poll pitches of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad.In the run-up to the Jan 15 battle of ballots, Ajit Pawar’s appearance with estranged cousin and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule was the first show of unity between the two NCP factions since their split in 2023. This not only added political weight to the announcement that NCP and NCP (SP) would fight the PMC and PCMC elections together but also triggered speculation about possible merger of the two parties.Away from the spotlight, the campaign ran on familiar ground tactics. Most candidates banked on “padyatras” and door-to-door visits, while senior leaders took charge of big roadshows and evening ‘sabhas’ to project strength. Campaign vehicles fitted with loudspeakers with party jingles playing in the look and a steady stream of social media posts kept Pune’s election pitch loud. However, the blare of the vehicles fitted with publicity circuits was not music for a large section of residents.Top leaders from all parties ensured their presence with roadshows and rallies. BJP’s Murlidhar Mohol, who represents Pune in the Lok Sabha, and other senior party netas addressed public rallies in a display of strength. Fadnavis addressed a gathering at Gokhalenagar on Tuesday. NCP, on its part, organised spirited roadshows in Narhe, Dhayari, Warje, Aundh and Bopodi in the final leg of campaigning.For many local aspirants, the grind was relentless. BJP candidate from ward no 3, Aishwarya Pathare, said, “Waking at dawn to cover neighbourhoods and managing gruelling schedules were hectic, but worth it.” Candidates such as Rahul Kalate from Pimpri Chinchwad ward no 21 emphasised the importance of nutrition and stamina during the last leg of the campaign.MNS chief Raj Thackeray led a series of meetings and roadshows as campaigning drew to a close. He participated in media interactions and visited key neighbourhoods such as Kothrud, Warje, the Peth areas, Maharshinagar, Sahakarnagar, Dhankawadi and Sutarwadi.In Pimpri Chinchwad, where both NCP and BJP are in a close fight to form the next municipal corporation, no senior leader from any party, barring Ajit Pawar, was seen on the final day of campaigning.Ajit Pawar’s campaign was largely dominated by his repeated allegations of corruption against BJP’s Bhosari MLA Mahesh Landge. On the last day too, he said it was because of corruption by local leaders that PCMC, once recognised as Asia’s wealthiest civic body, was now under debt.Addressing his final rally in Dapodi, Pawar said he had raised corruption allegations from the beginning of the campaign and claimed that his opponents failed to respond to them. “Instead, efforts were made to give the campaign an emotional colour and divide people on the lines of religion,” he said.With campaigning officially ending in the evening, Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad enter a 48-hour silence period before voters take charge on Thursday. What remains clear is that the past two weeks were as dynamic as any in recent civic election history — driven by promises, sound bytes on and off the streets and a palpable buzz around every nook and cranny of the city.
