PUNE: With the deadline for nominations drawing closer, several aspirants have moved ahead and filed their papers for the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections on January 15, even as major political parties are yet to announce their official candidate lists.
Indore, India – Feb. 4, 2015:(With Indore politics 2016) Main pic. Congress and BJP supporters wave flags in a show of strength in Indore India, on Wednesday, February 4, 2015. (File Photo by Arun Mondhe/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)
The Maharashtra State Election Commission has allowed nominations to be filed until December 30. Scrutiny will be held on December 31, withdrawals are permitted until January 2, and campaigning will proceed under the model code of conduct.
Seat-sharing talks within key alliances, such as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the Bharatiya Janata Party–Shiv Sena combine, remain unresolved, delaying final decisions. Despite this, more than 25 nomination papers were filed on Saturday by aspirants affiliated with the BJP, Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), even though their names have yet to be officially cleared by their respective parties.
Candidates who do not receive the mandatory ‘AB form’—issued by parties to authorise an official candidature—can still contest as independents. Several aspirants said filing nominations early keeps that option open.
From the BJP, aspirants including Omkar Kadam (Ward 7), Pradip Shivaji Satav (Ward 4), Rupali Jalindhar Taralkar and Yogesh Tukaram Mulik (both Ward 5), Usha Naik (Ward 26), Shyama Dhavall Jadhav (Ward 2), and Madhuri Shriram Sahastrabuddhe (Ward 29) filed their papers without waiting for the party’s final list.
Shiv Sena (UBT) aspirants Paresh Khandke (Ward 25) and Vasant Krushna More (Ward 38) also submitted nominations. From the Congress, Kiran Mhatre (Ward 27) and Mehboob Nadaf (Ward 13) filed papers ahead of any official announcement.
Among NCP aspirants, Abhilasha Niranjan Ghate (Ward 39), Nitin Rokade (Ward 13), Tejashree Ramesh Parhad, and Ramesh Dondiba Parhad (both Ward 4) submitted nominations. From the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), Vinita Prakash Jamdade and Prakash Sukhdev Jamdade, both from Ward 4, filed their papers on Saturday.
It was observed that several aspirants filed more than one nomination—one on a party symbol and another as an independent. Some also filed nominations in the names of close relatives. Candidates said this was a precautionary step to avoid last-minute complications, adding that extra nominations would be withdrawn once AB forms are issued.
On Friday, NCP leader Mohit Vitthal Berate filed his nomination.
An aspirant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had received informal communication from the party leadership prompting them to file papers and were expecting official authorisation soon.
Political observers said parties are deliberately delaying final candidate lists to prevent internal rebellion and defections. Early declaration of candidates, they noted, often leads to disgruntled aspirants switching sides. The BJP, for instance, is yet to announce its list amid internal competition and ongoing talks with ally Shiv Sena, after reportedly screening over 2,200 aspirants.
