Pune, PCMC to retain four-member ward system as state kicks off process for civic polls
The state government has initiated the process for holding elections to municipal corporations, municipal councils, and zilla parishads across Maharashtra with the Urban Development Department on Tuesday directed all municipal corporations to begin the ward delimitation exercise, a crucial step ahead of the polls.
Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations are expected to continue with the four-member ward system, though ward boundaries are likely to change due to the merger of 34 villages into the Pune civic limits over the past six years.
In the 2017 civic polls, both cities followed the four-member ward format. In 2021, however, the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government attempted to introduce a three-member system through a fresh delimitation exercise. That move was reversed after the Mahayuti coalition came to power, restoring the four-member panel structure.
According to the latest orders from the Urban Development Department, municipal corporations in categories A, B, and C will adopt the four-member system, with a few exceptions where wards may have either three or five members, depending on the total number of corporators. Pune and Nagpur fall under Category A.
The notification, signed by principal secretary KH Govindraj, states: 'This order shall be referred to as the 'Order for Delimitation of Wards in A, B, and C Municipal Corporations for General Elections as per Four-Member Ward System, 2025'.'
Citing Maharashtra Ordinance No. 21 dated March 11, 2022, and Section 5 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, the notification clarified that the government will conduct the delimitation with the approval of the State Election Commission (SEC). The responsibility for preparing the draft ward structures and finalising member counts lies with the respective municipal commissioners, who will also serve as election officers.
The commissioners must now draw up the draft panel structure, align it with the voter list, and submit it to the SEC. Once approved, the draft will be published, and public suggestions and objections will be invited. After addressing these, the final ward boundaries and the revised voter list will be prepared and published.
This process is expected to take six to eight weeks, following which election dates will be formally announced. Sources suggest elections may be scheduled around Diwali.
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