Only 28,509 graduates registered to vote in Pune division graduates' constituency poll

Only 28,509 voters have been registered in Pune, often called the cultural and education capital of Maharashtra, for Friday's Pune Division Graduates' constituency election. The city is estimated to have more than 10 lakh graduates. The figure, released by the district administration, shows that only a very small share of the city's degree holders became voters for this Legislative Council election.

After such low registration, political parties are rethinking how they mobilise their ground machinery and workers. The contest is seen as a close one.

Enrolment was low across all the city's Assembly constituencies, even those with more educated professionals. Parvati recorded the highest number of graduate voters at 6,100, followed by Khadakwasla with 5,337. Kothrud, generally regarded as a middle-class and highly educated area, registered 4,224 voters, while Vadgaon Sheri had 3,290.

Shivajinagar has many educational institutions, colleges and university campuses, yet only 2,278 voters were registered there. Pune Cantonment has the fewest in the city, at 1,112.

The figures have raised questions about the organisational strength of the parties. In Pune, the parties have networks reaching down to the ward level, elected representatives and active youth wings, yet they failed to get eligible degree holders enrolled as voters.

Office-bearers of the ruling party blamed the tight election schedule. BJP state general secretary Rajesh Pandey said: "The graduates' and teachers' constituency elections were earlier expected in November, but they were announced in October itself. Voter registration usually peaks in the last phase of the campaign. With the early announcement of the schedule, the machinery was caught off guard and did not get as much time as it had planned to complete the drive."

Opposition leaders did not accept this explanation. A senior Congress leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "Talking about the early announcement of the election is just an excuse to hide the failure of the organisation and the deep resentment among voters. When state officials and party workers do not make registration easy or do not build active contact with people, educated citizens lose faith in the whole process."

Political observers say the figures show a growing distance between the parties and the city's educated population. They also pointed out that the ordinary voter ID used in Lok Sabha or Assembly elections is not enough for these Council seats. To be enrolled in a graduates' constituency, eligible graduates must fill out a separate registration form.

The Pune Division Graduates' constituency is a seat in the Maharashtra Legislative Council covering five districts: Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur. Voting for this biennial election is on Friday, October 23, 2026.

The Mahayuti candidate is Dr Smitatai Yogesh Jadhav, who is backed by leaders of the BJP, the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and the RPI(A). The Maha Vikas Aghadi candidate is Harshada Jadhav-Deshmukh. As voting nears, the parties face the difficult challenge of energising their voters.