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Pimpri-Chinchwad: The proposal to increase the number of regional ward offices in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) jurisdictional limits from eight to 10 has sparked a new political war between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
However, amidst this political tug of war, PCMC Commissioner Shravan Hardikar has currently put a halt to the proposal by denying the necessity of an increase. While the BJP frames this as a move for “population growth and administrative convenience", the opposition have made known their silent arguments against the movie, saying it is a calculation over the chairmanship of these regional offices.
In the current eight regional ward offices of the PCMC, the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) has a higher number of corporators in the ‘C’ (G) and ‘H’ regional ward offices. As a result, the chairmanship of these two offices is likely to go to the opposition. If the number of offices were increased to 10 through restructuring, the boundaries could be redrawn to alter the numerical strength required for these posts.
Keeping this in mind, the ruling BJP has played this political card to increase its count. Political circles in the PCMC have labelled this move as “political delimitation".
In 2017, when the BJP first came to power, the number of regional ward offices was increased from six to eight. At that time, due to the strategy of the BJP leaders, the chairmanship of all eight offices remained with the BJP.
Now, in the 2026 elections, the BJP has returned to power with 84 seats (85 including a sponsored independent), while the NCP secured 37 and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena six. In the absence of a formal alliance, the NCP is active in the opposition role. The BJP does not want the opposition to gain a foothold on the administrative stage, which is why the proposal to increase the offices emerged.
BJP’s Argument vs NCP’s Counterattack
BJP Chinchwad MLA Shankar Jagtap wrote to the Commissioner stating that the city’s population was 17 lakh in the 2011 census, which has now reached nearly 30 lakh. He argues that 10 regional ward offices are essential to provide quick services to citizens and reduce the administrative burden. The BJP claims this step is purely for administrative ease and not for political gain.
NCP corporator Manisha Lande dismissed the proposal, stating that there has been no new census, no change in the number of corporators, and no expansion of the city limits. Under such circumstances, the sudden demand for two new offices is motivated by political greed. She argued that if boundaries are changed, citizens will have to travel to distant offices, causing public inconvenience.
Commissioner’s ‘No’ Halts the Move
When asked about this, PCMC Commissioner Shravan Hardikar told the media that since 2011, no new census has occurred, and the number of corporators remains at 128. The structure of the 32 electoral wards (Prabhags) is unchanged, and no new villages have been merged into the PCMC.
Therefore, there is no necessity to increase the number of ward offices. Furthermore, the PCMC is already facing a shortage of human resources, and the current eight offices are functioning smoothly. Overall, the commissioner's stance has put the ruling party’s proposal on the back burner for now.
