PMC Budget 2026: No Funds Allocated to Amol Balwadkar’s Ward, Administrative Error Triggers Row in Pune

Pune, 25th March 2026: An administrative lapse in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) led to zero fund allocation for the ward represented by corporator Amol Balwadkar, triggering political speculation and causing embarrassment for the ruling BJP before the error was officially acknowledged.

The issue came to light during the PMC general body meeting on Tuesday when the civic budget was presented. It was revealed that no funds had been allocated to Balwadkar’s ward in the budget document. The development quickly sparked discussion in political circles, particularly against the backdrop of strained relations between Balwadkar and BJP leaders after the party denied him a ticket from Ward No. 9 (Sus-Baner) in the municipal elections.

Balwadkar later joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and was elected as a corporator. He is currently a member of the Standing Committee. Like other committee members, he had submitted proposals for fund allocation in the budget a few days earlier. However, it was later found that a staff member from the Municipal Secretary Department failed to forward his proposals for inclusion in the final budget.

Sources said Balwadkar had been consistently following up on his proposals until a day before the budget document was sent for printing and had repeatedly been assured that they had been forwarded. The omission surfaced only after the budget was formally presented.
Balwadkar immediately raised the issue with his group leader Nilesh Nikam, who then took it up with Leader of the House Ganesh Bidkar. Upon inquiry, officials confirmed that the concerned employee had not submitted Balwadkar’s proposals. The staff member reportedly admitted to the mistake in front of senior officials.

The incident initially put BJP office-bearers in a difficult position, as it led to speculation that the ruling party had deliberately sidelined Balwadkar amid ongoing political tensions. However, after the administrative error was identified, BJP leaders assured that funds would be allocated to Balwadkar’s ward through reclassification.

Following this assurance, the matter was temporarily resolved and efforts were made to put an end to the controversy.