Pune, Jan. 5 -- With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections approaching, a noticeable shift is emerging in the city's political landscape. In pockets such as the posh areas of Viman Nagar, Lohegaon and Wagholi under Ward No. 3 of the PMC, traditional campaign slogans and street-corner speeches are gradually giving way to presentations, charts and timelines, signalling a new style of electioneering driven by highly educated, professional candidates.

At the centre of this evolving trend are Aishwarya Pathare and Surendra Pathare, BJP candidates with strong business and professional backgrounds, who have introduced a "corporate-style manifesto" that mirrors boardroom strategies more than conventional political rhetoric. The manifest...