Pune pre-poll tie-ups: Party leaders go into a huddle

25 January 2017

PUNE: The polling to PMC and PCMC is slated for February 21 while the result is on February 23. The filing of nominations would begin from January 27 till February 3.

With less than a month left for the civic elections, city unit leaders of political parties are in a last minute huddle to take a call on pre-poll alliance so that the aspirants could start the campaign for the elections to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

The polling to PMC and PCMC is slated for February 21 while the result is on February 23. The filing of nominations would begin from January 27 till February 3. Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar was scheduled to hold a meeting with the senior leaders of city unit to discuss on the pre-poll alliance pact with Congress late on Monday evening. In the previous meeting, Pawar had directed the city unit chief to give a proposal to Congress on seat-sharing but there has been no decision on it. “A detailed discussion on pre-poll alliance would be held with the Congress…” said an NCP leader.

The city Congress unit though keen for a pre-poll alliance is not happy with the NCP proposal. It has decided to take up the matter with the state leadership of the party. “The Parliamentary Board of the party meeting is schedule in next two days. The pre-poll alliance matter would be taken up in the meeting. Meanwhile, a list of probables for all the 162 seats of PMC would be prepared in case of no alliance,” said a Congress leader.

In the discussion between Shiv Sena and BJP, the leaders have not made much of a headway as they think the pre-poll alliance in PMC would depend on the outcome of pre-poll pact between the two parties in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). “We are just waiting for the outcome of discussions of pre-poll alliance in the BMC. There is no meaning holding a discussion in PMC until things are clear in the BMC,” said a BJP leader.

Though the leaders of both the parties have been meeting but not much of a discussion is being done on pre-poll alliance, he said.

The claims of seats in both the parties are going to clash, said a Sena leader. “The old part of city along with Kothrud are bastions of Sena but the BJP after its good performance in assembly elections is trying to show their strength in Sena-dominated areas.”