Pune: In this year’s civic elections in PMC and PCMC areas, a peculiar brand of confusion is playing out at the ballot box. It isn’t about conflicting party symbols or shifting alliances, but rather a clash of identical surnames.In several wards, voters are finding themselves staring at panels where rival candidates share the same family names, making it a challenge to distinguish one from the other.
The confusion is most visible in PCMC’s Ward No. 28 (Rahatni-Pimple Saudagar). Here, the NCP has fielded a full panel of four candidates all carrying the surname “Kate”: Umesh, Sheetal, Vitthal, and Meenakshi. Challenging them, the BJP has also fielded three “Kates” — Shatrughna, Anita, and Sandesh.A similar scenario is unfolding in PMC’s Ward No. 9 (Baner-Sus-Pashan), where Amol Balwadkar (NCP) is pitted against Lahu Balwadkar (BJP) and Sandeep Balwadkar (Congress). Across the city, names like Pathare, Tingre, Satav, and Khandve are spread across multiple wards and opposing parties, further blurring the lines for the electorate.“For those of us who vote based on local work, it has become incredibly confusing,” said Meera Thombre, a resident of Rahatni. “You hear people say ‘vote for Kate,’ but which one? We have to double-check the first names and symbols every single time.”In areas where joint families are deeply rooted in local politics, a single surname has traditionally represented decades of political legacy. However, with family members now split across rival parties, that legacy is a double-edged sword — offering familiarity while sowing doubt.“Earlier, one family name represented one leader. Now, the same surname appears under two or three different party flags,” said Shashank Deshpande, a senior citizen from Baner. “On polling day, this can easily mislead voters who aren’t extremely alert.”Even tech-savvy younger voters are feeling the pinch. “I had to search through WhatsApp groups just to confirm which Tingre belonged to which party,” admitted Aditi Satav, a college student. “It shouldn’t be this complicated to identify a candidate.”Candidates acknowledge the overlap but argue it is an unavoidable byproduct of “family-run” politics. “We cannot stop someone with the same surname from contesting. People know our individual work; once we are on the ground, the confusion disappears,” said one candidate from eastern Pune.A Khandve candidate echoed this sentiment: “Voters are smart. They know who attends society meetings and who helps during floods or infrastructure crises. The surname alone doesn’t decide the vote.”Despite these assurances, election workers report a surge in queries at polling booths from voters asking, “Which one is our candidate?” The problem is particularly acute in the four-candidate panel system, where multiple candidates with the same name appear on a single ballot.For first-time voters like Arshin Sheikh from NIBM, the issue is straightforward but frustrating. “We just want to vote for the right person. But when everyone has the same surname, it feels like a puzzle,” she said. As the city heads to the polls, the real test for many will not just be party loyalty, but the ability to pick the right Kate, Pathare, or Balwadkar from a crowded lis
