Overview
- At a Pune-area press conference, Pawar said PCMC deposits fell from ₹4,844 crore to about ₹2,000 crore and claimed nearly ₹8,000 crore was depleted during BJP rule.
- He alleged cartelised tendering and civic-work corruption, citing the dog sterilisation programme and frequent road digging that he linked to worsening congestion.
- Pawar pointed to an Anti-Corruption Bureau action involving sitting standing committee chair Nitin Landge, saying the arrest marked a first in PCMC history.
- Responding to BJP leader Murlidhar Mohol’s criticism, he defended tickets for Sonali and Laxmi Andekar—accused in the Ayush Komkar murder case and in jail—arguing no one is guilty until proven.
- He rejected claims of EVM tampering, noted PCMC was governed by the BJP from 2017 to 2022 and by an administrator since 2022, and highlighted the January 15 civic polls and his party’s tie-ups with RPI and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SP in parts of the region.