PUNE:That signature smile of netas, the usual “namaskars” and umpteen vows seem outdated to win voters’ favour. The run-up to the PMC polls is witnessing a redefined way to entice voters — offering Paithani saris, highend vehicles, plots of land and even holiday trips to Thailand in lucky draws.With the local polls in Maharashtra taking place after a prolonged gap, the pitch to voters is no longer subtle and aspirants across party lines are escalating their campaign strategies to levels rarely seen in urban civic politics.The scenario in Pune is in no way different. What were once modest outreach efforts have transformed into high-value inducements, with sponsored cricket leagues offering Rs 1 lakh prizes, and twoand four-wheeler draws becoming routine features of ward-level poll campaigns.Political analysts are of the view that land promises and luxury vehicles signal how fiercely contested the civic race has become, driven by overcrowded tickets, entry of new aspirants and intense intra-party competitions.In PMC’s Ward No. 1, which covers parts of Lohegaon and Dhanori, NCP aspirant Shashi Tingre has drawn much attention after completing registrations for a lucky draw, offering land plot measuring one guntha (roughly 1,100 sqft) each for 11 women.Tingre said the land offer should be seen as social empowerment and not inducement. “This is about giving women security and dignity through land ownership, not about buying votes.”In Wagholi, the scale of campaign has taken an even more extravagant turn with some aspirants sponsoring a five-day Thailand (Phuket-Krabi) tour for couples. In Ward No. 3 (Vimannagar), Sakhi Prerna Manch held a “home minister”-style contest for women, where winners walked away with Paithani saris.In ward No. 10 (Bavdhan and Bhusari Colony), around 500 girls got bicycles, while women got sewing machines through an initiative by Kiran Dagade Patil Foundation. In the same ward, Dilip Vede Patil, an aspirant, organised a free-of-cost music concert.In Pimpri Chinchwad, a candidate, Sanket Barne, organised a draw with the top prize of an SUV. He said, “We had over 5,000 participants attending our event which featured a music concert by leading artists from Bollywood.” Another aspirant from Pimpri, Ashwini More, sponsored a cricket tourney with a Rs 1 lakh cash prize. Many aspirants are privately admitting that such offers raise the stakes for everyone in the fray.Urban policy expert Jyoti Kanade said, “When campaigns revolve around gifts, it signals a transactional approach to democracy where voters are treated as consumers and polls as investments.”Political commentator Anand Puntambekar said, “Delayed elections, overcrowded tickets, and intense competition have pushed candidates to adopt a mindset where visibility matters more than ideology or governance.”A senior BJP leader said there is a growing pressure on contenders to match or exceed the rivals’ offers. “But there has to be a limit to all this and action must be taken against those crossing the line.”
