Pune | September 10, 2026
Bharatiya Janata Party councillors in the Pune Municipal Corporation raised complaints about administrative delays, alleged unequal allocation of funds and political interference during a meeting with Union minister of state Murlidhar Mohol on Wednesday, according to a report by Loksatta – Pune. The meeting was held ahead of the PMC general body meeting scheduled for Thursday.
The councillors reportedly told Mohol that municipal officers were not responding to repeated requests and that elected representatives were being ignored despite the BJP holding power in the civic body. They also alleged that some office-bearers were shielding officials who were not completing assigned work.
“Even though we are in power in the municipal corporation, officers do not listen. Despite repeated follow-ups, the administration ignores us,” the councillors were quoted as saying. They also complained that they were not being allowed to speak adequately during general body meetings and that senior officials were difficult to meet.
According to the report, some councillors said they had been elected six to seven months earlier but were still unable to point to substantial work completed in their wards. They alleged that established contractors continued to dominate civic work, while political intervention created difficulties in implementing projects. Complaints were also raised about senior officials allegedly speaking rudely and about preferential treatment in the distribution of funds among wards and councillors.
The meeting followed dissatisfaction expressed by several BJP councillors at the party’s state executive meeting the previous week. The councillors had reportedly approached senior leaders over what they described as discriminatory treatment within the municipal administration. State-level leaders subsequently asked Mohol to engage with the party’s councillors and office-bearers in Pune.
Mohol told the councillors that they needed to operate with the understanding that the party was in power in the PMC. “The people of Pune have given us the mandate. First firmly accept that we are in power,” he was quoted as saying. He also advised councillors to look beyond ward-level concerns, limited funds and complaints about officials, and to consider the party organisation and the wider political situation while working in the civic body.
Mohol further cautioned that repeatedly stating that funds were unavailable or that civic work was not being completed could benefit the Opposition. He also reportedly observed that Opposition statements received greater media attention after general body meetings.
The minister addressed complaints that councillors were not being given opportunities to speak during the general body session. He said councillors should raise citywide issues in addition to ward-specific matters. He also pointed to the need for adequate attendance by members of the ruling side, saying that decisions could be affected when sufficient numbers of councillors were not present in the hall.
The Loksatta report did not include a response from PMC officials to the allegations raised during the meeting. The BJP councillors’ concerns are expected to form part of the political backdrop to the PMC general body meeting scheduled for Thursday.
