Pune: PMC to Book Violators for Unauthorised Political Ads During Civic Polls
Pune, 17th December 2025: With the Model Code of Conduct coming into force following the announcement of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, the civic administration has made prior permission mandatory for all political advertisements.
However, unauthorised hoardings have been spotted across several parts of the city, prompting the PMC to initiate strict enforcement measures.
The State Election Commission on Monday announced that polling for the PMC elections will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. Soon after the announcement, the PMC began removing illegal hoardings erected by aspirants promoting schemes such as free religious tours, games, saree distribution and lucky draws, particularly aimed at women voters.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, PMC Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said any advertisement displayed without civic permission would be treated as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and could invite legal action.
“The cost incurred on such unauthorised hoardings will be added to the election expenditure of the concerned political party,” he said.
The civic body has directed officials to immediately remove all unauthorised hoardings and initiate action against violators. To ensure free and fair elections, the PMC will deploy flying squads, monitoring committees, check-post teams, video surveillance units and a dedicated complaint redressal cell throughout the election period, the commissioner added.
