Ajit Pawar Announces Alliance With Sharad Pawar for Local Body Polls

Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced that his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party will jointly contest the upcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections with the party led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, marking a significant reunion within the Pawar family.

Addressing a campaign rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ajit Pawar said the decision was taken after discussions between both factions while finalising candidate lists for the civic polls. He described the move as a coming together of the “parivar,” signalling unity ahead of the January 15 elections.

Ajit Pawar said the alliance was formed keeping Maharashtra’s development in mind and added that seat-sharing discussions with local leaders were underway. He indicated that details of the arrangement would be announced shortly. Referring to party symbols, he remarked that the ‘clock’ of the NCP and the ‘tutari’ of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) had come together.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, are scheduled to be held on January 15, with counting set for the following day. The deadline for filing nominations is December 30.

Meanwhile, talks are also underway between the two Pawar-led factions for a possible understanding in the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. The development comes amid shifting political equations within the Mahavikas Aghadi.

After prolonged deliberations, the Sharad Pawar-led faction recently decided to resume discussions with the Mahavikas Aghadi for the Pune civic polls, following the collapse of earlier talks with the Ajit Pawar-led group. Negotiations between the two NCP factions had continued for over a week before stalling, with differences reportedly emerging over seat-sharing and decision-making.

The possibility of a Pawar family reunion had earlier triggered uncertainty within the alliance, prompting other partners to explore alternative strategies. With renewed coordination now underway, political observers say the local polls could significantly reshape Maharashtra’s civic political landscape.