Ahead of the Pune Municipal Corporation Elections 2026, poll officials have instructed voters that mobile phones are not allowed inside polling stations on voting day. Also, to make sure that no eligible voter is turned away due to not having a voter ID card, the Election Commission has allowed 12 other types of photo ID that can be shown at polling booths.
Prasad Katkar, Deputy Commissioner (Election), PMC, said, "Mobile phones are not allowed at the polling booths, and we have already released an advisory to make people aware that other digital devices like smart watches, tabs and other electronic devices are not allowed at Polling booths. And we advise people not bring phones as there are no facilities provided to keep your phone at the designated polling centres."
Voters can present any one of the following IDs for polling:
- Passport
- Aadhaar card
- Driving licence
- PAN card
- Identity cards issued by Central or State government departments or PSUs
- Bank or post office passbooks with photographs
- Disability ID cards
- MGNREGA job cards
- Pension documents with photographs
- Official ID cards issued to MPs, MLAs, or MLCs
- Freedom Fighter identity cards
- Health Insurance Smart Cards issued by the Ministry of Labour
Moreover, in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, as many as 1,153 candidates are contesting, collectively declaring assets worth Rs172.95 crore. While this figure complies with Election Commission norms, it is believed that actual expenditure is several times higher due to unaccounted spending.
For the upcoming PMC elections, the administration has constituted 41 wards, 40 wards with four corporators each and one ward with five corporators. A total of 165 corporators will be elected from these wards. Candidates from national and regional political parties, smaller parties, and independents are contesting the polls.
According to Election Commission guidelines, each candidate is allowed to spend a maximum of Rs 15 lakh on campaigning. Based on this limit, the total declared expenditure by 1,153 candidates amounts to Rs 172.95 crore.
