- Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced NCP and NCP(SP) alliance for Pune civic polls
- The alliance reunites uncle Sharad Pawar and nephew Ajit Pawar after their 2023 split
- Elections for 29 Maharashtra municipal corporations will be held on January 15
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced the much-anticipated alliance between his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP(SP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar for the upcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls, over two years after their split.
Ajit Pawar, during an election campaign rally, said, "For the sake of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, the 'clock' and the 'tutari' (trumpet) have united. The 'parivar' (family) has come together."
The clock symbol belongs to the undivided NCP and was awarded to Ajit Pawar's faction by the Election Commission when it recognised his group as the original party. The Sharad Pawar faction subsequently adopted the 'tutari' (curved trumpet) symbol. The uncle and nephew, who had previously worked together as part of the NCP, split in 2023 when Ajit Pawar allied with the BJP in Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar's NCP faction has been a part of the Opposition alliance both in the state and at the Centre.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, considered as one of the richest after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has been held by Sharad Pawar's undivided NCP since 2017.
During his address, Ajit Pawar urged party workers to work hard and refrain from making any controversial comments during rallies. "We are the ones who work for development. We will edge out those who tried to put this municipal corporation in debt," he said.
Calls for their reconciliation began to surface after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance's landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year.
The reunion for the Pimpri Chinchwad election comes two days after sources indicated that the talks between the two parties over contesting the Pune civic polls together were failing, with Sharad Pawar going back to Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and the Congress for seat-sharing discussions. The Pune region has been a traditional stronghold of the Pawars.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune civic bodies, will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted the next day. The last date for filing nominations is December 30.
Political reactions
Many political leaders reacted to the Pawars' reunion, with some hoping that Sharad Pawar would join the NDA alliance sometime soon.
"Ajit Pawar joined the BJP on Sharad Pawar's orders. I also said earlier that Ajit Pawar always follows Sharad Pawar's directions. It's nothing new for us that they are reuniting, as we knew that Ajit Pawar joined the NDA alliance after receiving directions from Sharad Pawar. We are happy that they are uniting. I hope Sharad Pawar will also join the NDA alliance soon," BJP leader Navneet Rana said.
NCP (Ajit Pawar) leader Zeeshan Siddiqui also welcomed the reunion, saying, "It is a good thing if both the families come together. The party will become stronger because of this. We welcome this step. Both parties will fight strongly."
The Eknath Shinde Sena, however, criticised the Pawars' alliance, saying, "They can come together, but people will not vote on surname. The surname politics won't work in Maharashtra."
Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC also echoed the same response. "Any brothers may come together, family may come together, but surname politics will not work. They are coming together for power. People trust only in work and not in name. People can discuss that the Pawars are coming together, but they will not gain votes because of this. People do not vote based on name," she said.
