90% Of Pimpri-Chinchwad Votes In Housing Societies – Residents Assert Power In Upcoming PCMC Elections

Pimpri-Chinchwad: Housing societies in Pimpri-Chinchwad city have made it clear that it’s they who will decide who gets elected to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). A meeting took place regarding this on Sunday afternoon in the Moshi area, where representatives from multiple housing societies from Bhosari, Chikhali, Moshi, and other areas were present.

A ‘Vichar Manthan Baithak’ meeting was held by the Chikhali-Moshi-Pimpri-Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation. Its president, Sanjeevan Sangale, told The Free Press Journal about the meeting. In this meeting, it was discussed and decided what an ideal elected candidate should be like and how society can determine if the candidate represents them or not.

Sangale told The FPJ, “Multiple things, including what should be the capability, competence, qualifications, and education of the public representatives elected to the local self-government body, were discussed. Also, expectations of the city’s society members from the local public representatives were put forward. Suggestions were made for the election manifesto for the societies and the city.”

Local body elections in Maharashtra are finally set to resume after a long gap. The Supreme Court of India recently ordered the Maharashtra state government and the State Election Commissioner to conduct local body polls before January 31, 2026. Due to reasons like the COVID-19 pandemic and legal challenges over reservation policies, elections haven’t been held since 2022. During this period, urban local bodies, including the PCMC, were run by administrators. These included IAS officers appointed by the state government rather than elected representatives.

In Pimpri-Chinchwad, the last PCMC elections were held in 2017. The five-year term ended in March 2022. People observed that the lack of elected representatives made it difficult for their voices to be carried over to the PCMC administration. Many noted that without corporators, the accountability and responsiveness of PCMC to civic issues declined significantly. Since then, many housing society federations, forums, and unions have come into focus.

These bodies represent a wider range of people. Multiple such bodies exist in the Chikhali, Wakad, Ravet, Sangvi, Pimple Nilakh, Bhosari, Pimpri, Chinchwad, and Nigdi areas of the city. They learnt to showcase their problems and reach out to the administration directly. Since then, corporators have not been missed much. That’s why, with the recent announcements of elections and the declaration of the PCMC ward structure, residents now know their power and rights.

Sangale claimed that many residents understand they have to elect an ideal candidate for their area, or the next five years will be tough. People have become smarter and more selective regarding the candidates they choose. The aspiring candidates for the PCMC elections must determine how they will help people, deliver on their promises, and live up to their word -- or else people won’t accept them.

90% of Voters in the City Live in Housing Federations

Sangale said that 90% of the votes in Pimpri-Chinchwad city belong to society members. Therefore, the Federation will listen to the members' views on what their local self-government representative should be like and what their expectations are. Following this, the Federation will prepare and publicly announce a resolution containing the expected election manifesto for the Municipal Corporation polls, as desired by the society members.

“Since society members account for 90% of the total votes in Pimpri-Chinchwad city, there will be a discussion and exchange of views on what the expectations of this majority electorate are from the public representatives elected in the local body elections. Over 2,000 residents participated in today's meeting,” Sangale said.

PCMC Elections: An Overview

- Date – December 2025 / January 2026
- Registered Voters – 17.1 lakh

- Number of Wards – 32
- Corporators per Ward – 4

- Total Corporators – 128

- Last PCMC Election – 2017
- Last Ruling Party – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); won 77 seats out of 128

- Ward Structure Basis – Based on the 2011 Census, updated via public hearings & SEC