Pune, Dec. 29 -- Political activity intensified in Pune on Monday as 694 nomination papers were filed in a single day for the forthcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections, election officials said. With this, the total number of nominations filed so far has reached 743 across 15 Returning Officer offices in the city.

The sharp rise in nominations came just a day before the December 30 deadline for filing papers. Officials pointed out that only 49 nominations had been received till December 28, indicating a last-minute rush by political parties and candidates to enter the electoral contest.

Several senior and prominent leaders submitted their nominations on Monday, signalling the formal entry of major political parties into the ...