PMC Election 2026: Date, wards, voters, parties — all you need to know

After a gap of nearly nine years, Pune will return to the ballot to elect a new municipal corporation. The State Election Commission announced the long-pending civic polls, setting the stage for voting to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) on January 15, with counting scheduled the next day.

The last PMC election took place in 2017. The term of the elected body ended in 2022, but elections remained on hold following litigation in the Supreme Court over OBC reservation. The state government appointed administrators to run the PMC, PCMC and other civic bodies whose terms had expired.

State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare announced the election programme in Mumbai and candidates filed nomination forms between December 23 and December 30. Voting across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including PMC, will take place on January 15.

The election will constitute a 165-member PMC general body. Of these, 83 seats stand reserved for women and 82 fall under the general category. Voters will elect corporators from 41 wards, with four corporators each from 40 wards and five from one ward.

As of July 1, the electoral roll lists 35,51,469 eligible voters. The PMC administration has identified around 3 lakh voters with double entries. Political parties have flagged the issue and demanded corrections to ensure fair polls.

The PMC election will follow a four-member ward structure. Ballot units will mark seats with colours: The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP jointly released their manifesto for the PMC election on Saturday. Titled ‘Ashtasutri Pragati’ and ‘Ashtavadhani Netritva’, the document promises free public transport for city residents, along with measures on roads, water supply and waste management. Ajit Pawar and NCP(SP) working president Supriya Sule released the manifesto.

Continuing the Mahayuti alliance’s approach in Maharashtra, BJP promised fare concessions for women in metro rail and city bus services, and tax exemptions for residential properties measuring under 500 sq ft. Union minister and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol, ministers Chandrakant Patil and Madhuri Misal, and legislators Hemant Rasane and Bhimrao Tapkir unveiled the manifesto.

In the 2017 PMC election, all major parties contested independently. The BJP won 97 seats and reached a total of 100 with the support of Independents, ending the NCP’s ten-year control of the civic body from 2007 to 2017.

The BJP entered the 2017 polls after winning all eight Pune assembly seats and the Pune Lok Sabha seat in 2014. In the 2019 Assembly election, it lost two assembly seats but retained six and the Lok Sabha seat. In 2024, the party again won 6 assembly seats and the Pune Lok Sabha seat.

The PMC administration has said it will monitor civic staff to prevent involvement in election campaigns. Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the administration would take legal action against any staff member found campaigning for candidates or political parties.

As per election rules, civic staff cannot engage in political activity, Ram said. The PMC has appointed a returning officer and around 23,500 personnel from other government offices and government-aided schools for polling and counting duties.

The civic body has also introduced a single-window system for candidates to obtain no-objection certificates required for filing nominations. Candidates need clearances from 22 civic departments, including property tax and health. They can apply online and download certificates from home, while helpdesks will function at all 15 ward offices and the PMC headquarters.