Pune: That signature smile of netas, the usual “namaskars” and umpteen vows seem outdated to win voters’ favour. The run-up to the PMC polls is witnessing a redefined way to entice voters — offering Paithani saris, high-end vehicles, plots of land and even foreign trips in lucky draws.With the local polls in Maharashtra taking place after a prolonged gap, the pitch to voters is no longer subtle and aspirants across party lines are escalating their campaign strategies to levels rarely seen in urban civic politics. The scenario in Pune is in no way different. What were once modest outreach efforts have transformed into high-value inducements, with sponsored cricket leagues offering Rs 1 lakh prizes, and two- and four-wheeler draws becoming routine features of ward-level poll campaigns.Political analysts are of the view that land promises and luxury vehicles signal how fiercely contested the civic race has become, driven by overcrowded tickets, entry of new aspirants and intense intra-party competitions.In PMC’s Ward No. 1, which covers parts of Lohegaon and Dhanori, NCP aspirant Shashi Tingre has drawn much attention after completing registrations for a lucky draw, offering land plot measuring one guntha (roughly 1,100 sqft) each for 11 women. Defending the move, Tingre said, “This offer has been introduced to empower women and give my sisters an asset that they can use for their own good. I have worked for the people of Lohegaon and Dhanori for the last 10 years and always strived for their betterment by providing services, such as ambulances and waste segregation trucks, free of cost.”Tingre insisted that the land offer should be seen as social empowerment rather than inducement. “This is about giving women’s security and dignity through land ownership, not about buying votes.”In Wagholi, the scale of campaigning has taken an even more extravagant turn. Aspirants in the fray have sponsored a five-day Thailand (Phuket-Krabi) tour for couples as part of their outreach strategy, an offer that has left many local party workers surprised.In Ward No. 3 (Vimannagar), the Sakhi Prerna Manch organised a “home minister”-style contest for women, where winners walked away with pure silk Paithani saris, turning a community event into a high-profile attraction.Ward No. 10 (Bavdhan and Bhusari Colony) witnessed multiple giveaways for women and young voters. Around 500 girls were distributed bicycles, while women received sewing machines through an initiative by the Kiran Dagade Patil Foundation. In the same ward, Dilip Vede Patil, one of the aspirants, organised a free-of-cost Marathi music concert for citizens, drawing large crowds and blurring the line between civic engagement and entertainment-driven campaigning.The lure of lucky draws and freebies is not limited to Pune city alone. In Pimpri Chinchwad, a candidate, Sanket Barne, organised a mega lucky draw where the top prize was a high-end SUV. He said, “These are community events that enable citizens to come together and enjoy. Just one call, and we had over 5,000 participants attending our lucky draw event which featured a music concert by leading artists from Bollywood.”Another aspirant from Pimpri, Ashwini More, sponsored a local cricket tournament with the winning team taking home a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh. Such strategies and events have turned this election season into a spectacle, besides sparking intense debates within political circles, with many aspirants privately admitting that such offers raise the stakes for everyone in the fray.Political analyst and urban policy expert Jyoti Kanade said, “When campaigns revolve around gifts and experiences, it signals a transactional approach to democracy where voters are treated as consumers and elections as investments to be recovered later.”Political commentator Anand Puntambekar said, “Delayed elections, overcrowded tickets, and intense competition have pushed candidates to adopt a mindset where visibility matters more than ideology or governance.”A senior BJP leader said with multiple aspirants in each ward and parties fielding candidates based on the winnability factors, there is a growing pressure on contenders to match or exceed the rivals’ offers. “However, there has to be a limit to this and action must be taken against those crossing the line.”
