‘Vote for Me and Win an SUV’: Pune Candidates Dangle Luxury Prizes to Woo Voters

With just three weeks left for the Pune municipal elections, the campaign trail has taken an unusual turn.

Aspiring councillors across the city have begun offering eye-catching incentives to voters, ranging from luxury vehicles and foreign holidays to land parcels and gold jewellery, as competition intensifies for the coveted civic seats.

Luxury Giveaways and Lucky Draws Flood City Wards

In Lohgaon-Dhanori ward, one candidate has announced a promise that has raised eyebrows across the city. The candidate has vowed to give 11 voters 1,100 square feet of land each through a lucky draw, with registrations already underway.

In neighbouring Viman Nagar, another candidate has pitched a different kind of attraction, offering couples a five-day luxury tour to Thailand. Elsewhere, SUVs, two-wheelers and gold jewellery are being promised to voters through similar lucky draw schemes, reflecting the growing use of high-value rewards to gain attention on the ground.

Women Voters and Youth at Centre of Outreach

Women voters, particularly homemakers, appear to be a key focus of these campaigns. Thousands of Paithani sarees have reportedly already been distributed. The traditional handwoven silk sarees are known for their vibrant colours and intricate designs, often woven with pure gold or silver threads. Alongside sarees, sewing machines and bicycles have also been handed out in several areas.

For younger and sports-loving voters, candidates have gone a step further by organising cricket leagues, offering cash prizes of up to Rs 1 lakh. These initiatives underline how fiercely candidates are willing to spend to stand out in a crowded electoral contest.

Pawar Factions Begin Talks Ahead of January 15 Polls

Away from the spectacle on the streets, political negotiations are also gathering pace. Sources said that the Nationalist Congress Party factions led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar have held their first meeting on seat-sharing for the January 15 election.

Sharad Pawar, whose nephew Ajit Pawar split from the party in July 2023 to align with the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, is understood to be seeking between 40 and 45 seats. However, Ajit Pawar is reportedly unwilling to concede more than 30.

A final decision is expected after further discussions involving Supriya Sule, with an initial round of talks already held between leaders from both sides.

Thackeray Reunion Reshapes Opposition Equations

The political churn has not been limited to the Pawar family. On Wednesday, the Thackeray cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray reunited after a gap of 20 years.

Their alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has unsettled the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, which also includes the Congress and Sharad Pawar's NCP faction. The Congress has since stepped away from the alliance for this election alone, further complicating the political landscape as Pune heads towards polling day.