NCP Reunites: Sharad and Ajit Pawar's Surprising Pune Election Alliance

NCP (Sharad Pawar) Spokesperson Ankush Kakade confirmed the alliance on Tuesday and shared that seat-sharing discussions are yet to be held with the party

"Nationalist Congress Party- Sharadchandra Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party- Ajit Pawar have decided to contest the upcoming Pune municipal elections together... We have a meeting with our other partners this afternoon," NCP-SCP spokesperson Ankush Kakade said.

"No discussions have been held on seat sharing. We will talk to Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), and all four parties will sit together to discuss the seat-sharing formula... Ajit Pawar's faction and our faction's ideology are the same," he added.

NCP SP Leader and Pune City Chief Prashant Jagtap has offered to resign from both the party and his post. He has now been called to Mumbai by Supriya Sule and stated that he will take a final decision by the evening after the meeting.

"From today, the work for the nominations for the Pune Municipal Corporation has started. As of now, there hasn't been any discussion about whether we will fight as an MVA alliance or if there is some other alliance. But we want to fight the elections from here as an MVA. Our leader Supriyatai Sule called me to Mumbai. I will have a discussion with her. After that, I will announce my final decision by the evening. And in this, we should present ourselves before the people of Pune as a good and capable opposition party. My proposal is to fight against the BJP and the BJP's alliance. Therefore, whatever my outcome, that is, my decision, will come out by the evening," he said.

This coming together of NCP factions marks a major turn in Maharashtra politics as this is the first time both parties will contest an election together after Maharashtra DyCM Ajit Pawar broke away from the NCP-led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, in 2023.

Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Polling will be held on January 15, with counting set to take place on January 16.

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delivered a major political setback to rival parties by inducting around 20 former corporators and some office bearers from the city.

The party has also inducted 12 leaders from its alliance partner in Mahayuti, the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The induction programme held in Mumbai was led by BJP MLA Mahesh Landge from Bhosari Assembly Constituency and MLA Shankar Jagtap from Chinchwad Assembly Constituency from Pune district and is being seen as a significant boost for the BJP ahead of the civic polls, with the Model Code of Conduct already in force. The large-scale crossover of senior leaders is expected to strengthen the BJP's organisational base in the industrial city of Pune district.

Among the prominent Ajit Pawar-led NCP leaders, former PCMC Standing Committee chairperson Usha Waghere, former Standing Committee chief Prashant Shitole, former deputy mayor Prabhakar Waghere, former mayor Raju Misal, former opposition leader Vinod Nade, Sameer Masulkar, and former Standing Committee chairperson Navnath Jagtap also joined the party.

The BJP also gained support from leaders of other parties. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjog Waghere, Amit Gawade, Meenaltai Yadav, and Ravi Landge joined. Former Congress corporator Sadguru Kadam, brother of Kailas Kadam, president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Congress unit, was also inducted into the BJP.

- ANI