Pune Polls: 2,703 Nomination Papers Cleared After Scrutiny, 174 Rejected

Scrutiny of nomination papers for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections continued till late Wednesday night following a heavy rush of aspirants across wards. Of the 3,059 nomination papers filed, 174 were rejected, while 2,703 were declared valid, election officials said.

With a large number of candidates filing nominations from each ward, the scrutiny process extended late into the night. Objections were raised in seven to eight wards, leading to hearings before the Returning Officers. As a result, scrutiny in several wards was delayed. Elections for the PMC will be held on January 15 for 165 seats across 41 wards.

Nomination papers were submitted at 15 regional offices of the Municipal Corporation. The election is being conducted on a four-member ward basis, with an average of 12 to 15 aspirants contesting each seat. Along with candidates from major political parties, a significant number of independent candidates have also entered the fray.

Election officials said scrutiny was halted wherever objections were raised and resumed only after hearings were conducted. Common reasons for objections included discrepancies in caste certificates, submission of false affidavits, invalid marriage certificates, non-payment of municipal taxes, and failure to obtain mandatory no-objection certificates (NOCs).

These objections significantly slowed down the process. Minor disputes were also reported at a few zonal offices.

Scrutiny was completed quickly in wards where fewer objections were raised, including Yerawada–Kalas–Dhanori, Bavdhan–Bhusari Colony, Wanawadi, and Aundh–Baner.

Meanwhile, the nomination papers of several prominent leaders were declared valid. Former PMC House Leader Subhash Jagtap, contesting from Ward No. 36, faced objections that were later rejected. An objection raised by the Aam Aadmi Party against BJP candidate Reshma Anil Bhosale from Ward No. 7 (Gokhale Nagar–Wakdewadi), citing pending property dues, was dismissed after a hearing. Her nomination was declared valid.

Similarly, objections against NCP candidate Nandini Siddharth Dhende (Ward No. 2) and Congress candidate Avinash Bagwe were rejected by the Returning Officer, clearing their candidatures.

During scrutiny, BJP candidates raised objections against Shiv Sena (UBT) nominees for allegedly failing to attach the mandatory ‘A’ form, which is issued in the name of the party secretary and authorised leader. The Shiv Sena (UBT) candidates had submitted only the ‘B’ form with their nominations. BJP leaders had reportedly instructed their candidates to object on this ground.

However, Shiv Sena (UBT) representatives produced evidence that the ‘A’ forms had already been submitted to the Deputy Election Commissioner. After verification, the Returning Officers rejected all objections related to the missing ‘A’ forms.

With scrutiny now complete, the final list of candidates is expected to be published on January 3, setting the stage for a keenly contested PMC election.