Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pimpri Chinchwad, 17th December 2025: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has completed all administrative and logistical preparations to conduct the forthcoming civic elections in a transparent, fair and disciplined manner, Commissioner and Election Officer Shravan Hardikar said on Wednesday.
Addressing the preparedness, Hardikar said the entire election process is being implemented strictly in line with the guidelines issued by the State Election Commission. Adequate manpower, technical infrastructure and coordination mechanisms have been put in place to ensure smooth conduct of polling while maintaining law and order and enforcing the Model Code of Conduct across the city. Coordination between the police and civic administration has been strengthened to ensure a fear-free electoral environment, he added.
Final ward structure and reservation details
As per the approval of the State Election Commission, the final ward structure of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was notified on October 6, 2025. The city has been divided into 32 wards, with four corporators to be elected from each ward, taking the total strength of the civic body to 128 members. Of these, 64 seats, or 50 percent, have been reserved for women.
Based on the 2011 Census, the total population of the municipal area stands at 17,27,692. The Scheduled Caste population is 2,73,810, while the Scheduled Tribe population is 36,535.
Accordingly, 20 seats have been reserved for Scheduled Castes, including 10 for women, and three seats for Scheduled Tribes, of which two are reserved for women. In addition, 34 seats have been earmarked for the Backward Class category, including 17 seats reserved for women.
Voter strength and polling arrangements
The total number of voters in the PCMC area is 17,13,891. This includes 9,05,728 male voters, 8,07,966 female voters and 197 voters in the ‘other’ category. The final ward-wise electoral rolls were published on December 15, 2025.
Ward number 16 has emerged as the largest ward in terms of voter strength, with 75,105 voters, while ward number 23 has the lowest number of voters at 33,033. To facilitate voters, a total of 2,034 polling stations have been identified. The official list of polling stations will be published on December 20, while polling station-wise voter lists will be released on December 27, 2025.
Election machinery and manpower deployment
For election management, the civic administration has established a robust framework through eight zonal offices. Eight Election Returning Officers and 24 Assistant Returning Officers have been appointed. Around 14,000 officers and employees have been deployed across the eight zones for various election-related duties.
Separate appointments have also been made for heads of Model Code of Conduct enforcement teams and candidate expenditure monitoring teams. An Election Monitoring Committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Municipal Commissioner, with the Police Commissioner and Additional Municipal Commissioner as members, to ensure effective enforcement of election norms.
For polling day operations, each polling station will have one presiding officer, three polling officers and one peon, with an additional 10 percent staff kept in reserve. In total, approximately 10,250 officers and employees will be deployed across around 2,050 polling stations.
Surveillance, enforcement and grievance redressal
To curb malpractices during the election period, the administration has put in place a comprehensive surveillance and enforcement mechanism. Videography surveillance teams will monitor campaign rallies, public meetings and election-related expenditure at both headquarters and zonal levels.
Flying squads have been deployed to keep a close watch on attempts to influence voters, offer inducements or engage in illegal transportation of cash, liquor or other prohibited items. Check-post teams will also be operational at key locations across the city to prevent the movement of illegal arms and contraband.
Grievance redressal cells have been set up at the municipal and ward levels to ensure immediate action on complaints related to violations of the Model Code of Conduct.
Voter awareness and digital facilities
To increase voter participation and improve turnout, PCMC is conducting extensive voter awareness activities under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme. The campaign focuses on young voters, women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, highlighting the
importance of voting in a democracy.
Hardikar also said that candidates can now apply online for a ‘no-dues’ certificate through the official PCMC website and download the certificate digitally. For voters, the State Election Commission has provided the ‘Search name in voter list’ facility on its official website mahasecvoterlist.in, enabling citizens to easily verify whether their names appear in the correct ward.
Appealing to citizens, candidates and political parties, the commissioner urged all stakeholders to strictly adhere to the Model Code of Conduct and cooperate with the administration to ensure the smooth and peaceful conduct of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections.
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