The political atmosphere across Maharashtra’s Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad turned intense and noisy on Sunday as parties pulled out all stops on the final weekend ahead of the civic polls scheduled for Thursday, January 15. With only two days left before the official end of campaigning on Tuesday, January 13, candidates and party leaders intensified their outreach through rallies, roadshows, bike rallies, and door-to-door meetings. The final Sunday before polling emerged as a full-scale “mega campaign day”, with society meetings, corner meetings, and ward-level processions unfolding simultaneously across residential and commercial pockets of the twin cities. Campaign vehicles fitted with loudspeakers, traditional dhol-tasha troupes, and high-decibel music systems were widely used to draw attention. Senior leaders were also active on the ground. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis led a roadshow in Bhosari, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar released the Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP’s) civic poll manifesto for Pimpri-Chinchwad. The manifesto release gained political significance as Pawar shared the stage with his cousin and Member of Parliament (MP) Supriya Sule — a rare public appearance since the …