Pune: Reservation Lottery Reshapes Civic Poll Landscape, Prompts Leaders To Redraw Strategies
Pune: Reservation Lottery Reshapes Civic Poll Landscape, Prompts Leaders To Redraw Strategies
Pune, November 12, 2025: The recently held draw for reservation of seats in the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections has significantly altered the city’s political landscape, compelling several sitting corporators and senior leaders to revisit their electoral strategies.
The lottery, conducted on Tuesday at the Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, determined the distribution of reserved seats across the 41 PMC wards, reshaping political equations and leaving many leaders searching for new constituencies.
According to the draw results, half of the total 165 seats have been reserved for women, along with quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The official notification specifies that 22 seats are reserved for SC candidates, 44 for OBCs, and two for STs — with 50% of these reserved for women.
Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram announced that the PMC will accept public objections and suggestions regarding the reservation list between November 17 and 24 at the civic headquarters.
The reshuffle has prompted several corporators to consider fielding their spouses or family members in newly reserved seats, while others plan to shift to unreserved wards. Soon after the draw, details of ward reservations flooded social media, and aspirants began putting up hoardings announcing their electoral ambitions.
The PMC conducted a live telecast of the lottery process, which was overseen by Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram and Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B P, who also briefed party representatives about the procedure before the draw.
The Pune Municipal Corporation comprises 41 wards—40 wards with four corporators each and one (Balajinagar–Ambegaon–Katraj) with five—bringing the total strength of the civic body to 165 members.
