In a strategic administrative move, the state government has appointed Chandrakant Pulkundwar as the new divisional commissioner for Pune, succeeding Saurabh Rao, who has been assigned the position of commissioner of cooperation and registrar for cooperative societies in Pune. This organizational reshuffle comes ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha elections.
Chandrakant Pulkundwar, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 2008 batch, assumes the role of divisional commissioner for Pune after serving as the state sugar commissioner since May of the previous year. The Election Commission of India’s directive, preventing officers from being posted in their home districts or holding a posting for more than three years, has prompted various transfers within the state government.
Throughout his career, Pulkundwar has held diverse roles, including joint managing director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation in Mumbai and commissioner for the Nashik Municipal Corporation. His extensive experience also includes positions such as CEO of Gondia, collector of Buldhana, divisional officer at Parbhani, resident deputy collector in Nanded, and special land acquisition officer at the Krishna Valley project, among others.
Saurabh Rao, who served as the divisional commissioner for Pune for three years, will take on the responsibility of commissioner of cooperation and registrar of cooperative societies in Pune, succeeding Anil Kawade. Kawade, a veteran who has served as the sugar commissioner, is set to retire in March of this year.
The recent appointments aim to bring in fresh perspectives and expertise to key administrative roles in Pune as the government prepares for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
