Maharashtra civic polls: Pawar family reunites in Pune, uncle-nephew parties to contest together, disgruntled leaders join Congress
Mumbai (The Uttam Hindu): Political equations ahead of the upcoming municipal corporation elections in Maharashtra have changed significantly. After a major split within the party, the Pawar family has come together once again. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP led by his uncle Sharad Pawar (NCP–Sharadchandra Pawar) have decided to contest the civic polls jointly in Pune. Earlier, both parties had already announced an alliance for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, a move seen as politically significant.
On Sunday, Ajit Pawar confirmed the alliance while campaigning in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Addressing party workers, he announced that the symbols of both factions ‘clock’ and ‘trumpet’ had effectively come together. He said the family had reunited and urged workers to avoid controversial remarks during rallies, focusing only on development issues. Sharad Pawar’s grandson and MLA Rohit Pawar stated that the alliance decision was taken by respecting the wishes of party workers in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The show of political and family unity was also visible in Baramati. Earlier in the day, members of the Pawar family attended the inauguration of the ‘Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence’ by industrialist Gautam Adani. During his address, Ajit Pawar targeted the opposition, saying they would remove those responsible for pushing municipal bodies into heavy debt. As per the Election Commission’s schedule, polling for 29 municipal bodies, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, will be held on January 15, followed by counting the next day. The last date for filing nominations is December 30.
However, the alliance has also triggered dissent within the party. Former Pune mayor and city unit chief of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Prashant Jagtap, strongly opposed the decision. Upset over the alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP, Jagtap quit the party and joined the Congress on Friday, indicating dissatisfaction among some grassroots leaders over the top leadership’s decision.