Pune Municipal Election 2026: Eight Women Candidates’ Nomination Applications Rejected in Pune Municipal Elections; Legal Action Possible
Hadapsar, 2nd January 2026: Eight women candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC) category in Ward No. 15 under the Hadapsar-Mundhwa regional office have had their nomination applications rejected for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections. The candidates have indicated plans to approach the courts seeking relief.
The affected candidates, Komal Lakshman Bhosale, Prachi Pitambar Dhivar, Rupali Kamble, Disha Pawar, Asha Adamane, Shubhangi Arane, Shravani Awade, and Ravindra Tingre, arrived at the regional office on December 31, 2025, between 11:00 am and 3:30 pm, the official window allotted for document verification.
The candidates allege that they were denied entry deliberately, while other applicants who arrived later were allowed to complete verification. Despite submitting complete and accurate documentation, they claim they were forced to wait outside until 9:30 pm, only to be informed verbally at the end of the day that their applications had been rejected without any written notice.
Prachi Dhivar described the incident as “extremely unjust and discriminatory against SC women, causing mental harassment.” The candidates demanded that their documents be verified and that they be allowed to participate in the symbol allocation process. They warned that they would approach the High Court if corrective action is not taken.
The election authority maintained that the rejections were in line with the rules. Ganesh Markad, Election Decision Officer, stated, “Candidates are required to be present at the designated time for document verification. The schedule and regulations are clearly communicated in writing. The verification process lasted ten hours, and the eight applicants were not present at 11:00 am as required. Their applications were rejected in accordance with prescribed regulations.”
The controversy has raised questions about the adherence to election procedures and the treatment of reserved-category candidates in municipal elections, highlighting the sensitivity of nomination processes and the need for transparency in candidate verification.
