BJP-Sena-RPI group to top PMC election: opinion poll

The grand alliance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena and Republican Party of India (Athawale) is likely to be frontrunner in the ensuing election to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) as it is likely to win 59 seats out of a total of 152, according to an opinion poll.

An organisation, Rural Relations (RR), conducted the opinion poll in the city by getting responses of 14,800 voters and 490 political activists in the city. Chief of RR, Pradeep  Lokhande, said according to results of the poll, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) would be in second position with 38 seats.

It is likely to be followed by the Congress with 28 seats, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) with 13 seats, while independents are likely to win 14 seats.

In the last PMC election in 2007, the NCP was the single-largest party with 48 seats. The BJP-Sena alliance won 46 seats (BJP 25 and Sena 21), the Congress won 42 seats, and the MNS was successful in 8 seats.

Voting for the PMC election is likely to be held in the first week of February, 2012.

It was found that 82% voters thought that candidates fielded by NGOs are not likely to win the elections. RR had conducted opinion poll of voters for Khadakwasla assembly by-poll and had predicted the victory of the BJP with a slender margin, and the prediction came true.