'Chacha Bhatija' Duo Back On Stage Together As Ajit Pawar Announces Alliance With Uncle Sharad For Local Polls

Ajit Pawar’s NCP has reunited with Sharad Pawar’s faction to contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls, while also releasing its first candidate list for the Mumbai elections.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced that his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections in alliance with the faction led by his uncle, Sharad Pawar, signalling a rare political reunion within the Pawar family.

Addressing an election rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ajit Pawar said the two factions had decided to come together while finalising candidates for the civic polls. “The parivar (family) has come together,” he said, describing the move as being taken in the larger interest of Maharashtra’s development.

“While finalising the candidate list for the Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections, both factions decided to contest together, bringing the family back together. Many questions will arise about this decision, but sometimes such choices must be made in the interest of Maharashtra’s development,” Pawar said. He added that discussions on seat-sharing with local leaders had already taken place and that details would be announced shortly. Referring to the party symbols, he remarked that the ‘clock’ and the ‘tutari’ had united.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune, and Mumbai, are scheduled for January 15, with counting to take place on January 16. The deadline for filing nominations is December 30.

Talks are also underway between the two NCP factions regarding a possible alliance for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. NCP (Sharad Pawar) spokesperson Ankush Kakade confirmed the decision to contest together in Pune but said seat-sharing discussions were yet to be finalised. “Nationalist Congress Party–Sharadchandra Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party–Ajit Pawar have decided to contest the upcoming Pune municipal elections together. No discussions have been held yet on seat sharing. We will speak with Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), and all parties will sit together to finalise the formula,” he said, adding that both factions shared the same ideology.

The announcement follows a period of uncertainty after negotiations between the two NCP factions broke down earlier. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP had subsequently decided to resume talks with the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) for the Pune polls. The earlier impasse had created tensions within the MVA, prompting Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) to explore contesting jointly. With the NCP (SP) re-engaging with the alliance, coordination meetings among the three parties have resumed.

Meanwhile, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP has chosen to go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. On Sunday, the party released its first list of 37 candidates for the Mumbai civic polls, with a second list expected soon.

On the other side, Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam said the ruling Mahayuti alliance had finalised seat-sharing for 207 seats, with the BJP contesting 128 seats and the Shiv Sena 79. Decisions on the remaining 20 seats would be taken later, based on candidate suitability and consultations at the senior leadership level. Satam expressed confidence that the Mahayuti would secure control of the BMC.

The Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced that polling across all 29 municipal corporations, including the BMC, Pune, and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic bodies, will be held on January 15, with votes counted the following day.

(With ANI inputs)