Pimpri-Chinchwad, 24th December 2025: As preparations for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections intensify, civic chief and Election Officer Shravan Hardikar has taken a firm stance against lapses in duty, issuing show-cause notices to 1,329 officers and employees who failed to attend mandatory election training programmes.
The move comes amid heightened election activity across Maharashtra, with the PCMC election process gaining momentum. The civic administration has appointed eight returning officers and 24 assistant returning officers, while nearly 14,000 staff members are to be deployed for various election-related responsibilities.
To ensure smooth conduct of the polls, the PCMC Election Department had organised compulsory training sessions on December 20 and 21 at Prof. Ramkrishna More Auditorium in Chinchwad and GD Madgulkar Auditorium at Nigdi Pradhikaran. However, officials said attendance remained poor despite repeated reminders. As many as 1,191 employees were absent on Saturday, and even after a special appeal to attend the rescheduled session on Sunday, the number of absentees rose to 1,329.
Following the repeated non-attendance, Election Officer Shravan Hardikar issued show-cause notices on Tuesday, demanding immediate explanations from the erring personnel.
In the notice, Hardikar stated that deliberately skipping election training without permission amounts to obstruction of a constitutional responsibility and violates provisions of the Representation of the People Act. The notice described the conduct as negligent and indicative of a casual attitude towards election-related duties.
The commissioner has directed the staff concerned to submit a written explanation within 24 hours of receiving the notice, warning that failure to do so, or providing an unsatisfactory response, would invite legal action.
The PCMC administration has emphasised that election duties are a critical democratic responsibility and has made it clear that strict compliance will be enforced to ensure a fair and efficient electoral process.
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