Civic polls: Parties yet to book grounds in Pune

Earlier, elections used to be all about manifestos, public meetings, loud canvassing and huge posters. However, times have changed. With only 10 days to go, not a single party has approached the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to book grounds for public meetings.

Except for vehicles carrying flags of political parties, the streets are comparatively quiet.

There was a time when public meetings of senior party leaders would be announced as soon as the dates of the elections were declared. All the open spaces and grounds would be booked in advance. But that is not the case any longer. The dates of public meetings are yet to be finalised and may be decided at the last moment, party leaders said.

The senior leaders of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) are expected this week, but city office-bearers said the dates may be decided at the last moment and therefore they have not booked the grounds.

While the PMC officials confirmed that all grounds in the city are still available, they said this was unlike earlier times when demands would pour in for permission to hold meetings from the party office-bearers.

MNS leader, Ranjit Shirole said, “The trends of elections have changed. Even the lists of candidates are secret till the last moment. This is happening due to the increasing number of aspirants and rebels. Manifestos  have become secondary as the work of the corporator in his ward counts more than the manifesto.”

Congress corporator, Aba Bagul felt the hard and fast directives of the election commission changed the trends. “Earlier if the party leader said he would hold a meeting at Alka Chowk, he could do so. Now there are rules and regulations in place for everything,” he said.