Former opposition leaders Ujjwal Keskar and Suhas Kulkarni, along with former corporator Prashant Badhe, have stated that candidates contesting the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections are not required to submit No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from municipal departments while filing their nomination forms.
In a letter to PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, the leaders stated that the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act clearly does not require NOCs for municipal elections, except in the case of Mumbai and Nagpur.
They explained that if a candidate has pending municipal dues, the law provides a simple process. The Municipal Commissioner must issue a special notice asking the candidate to clear the dues within three months. If the amount is not paid within this period and the person has already been elected, their corporator post can be cancelled.
The leaders also pointed out that dues should be checked only if another candidate raises an objection during the scrutiny process. There is no need to demand NOCs from all candidates, they said.
Calling the NOC requirement unnecessary, the former leaders urged the Commissioner to follow the law strictly and avoid putting additional pressure on the administrative system.