Big question amid – The multi-cornered contest for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), for which voting got underway on Thursday morning, is primarily between the BJP and the alliance of two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions. Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) came together ahead of the elections and fielded their candidates, while Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) went solo.

The united NCP controlled politics in the PMC till 2017, after which the BJP single-handedly gained power, leading to a race between the two to prove their superiority in every election. The importance of civic elections has increased in the current political scenario after the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Every political party, regardless of alliance, is trying to strengthen its base and gain control over local bodies.