Daijiworld Media Network - Pune
Pune, Dec 29: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday formally announced an alliance between his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) for the upcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, marking a significant political reunion more than two years after the party split.
Addressing an election rally, Ajit Pawar said the two factions had come together in the interest of the civic body polls. “For the sake of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, the ‘clock’ and the ‘tutari’ have united. The family has come together,” he said.
The ‘clock’ symbol belongs to the undivided NCP and was allotted by the Election Commission to Ajit Pawar’s faction after it was recognised as the original party. Following the split in 2023, when Ajit Pawar aligned with the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar’s faction adopted the ‘tutari’ (curved trumpet) symbol and continued as part of the Opposition alliance at the state and national levels.
The Pune region has long been considered a Pawar stronghold. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, one of the richest civic bodies in the state after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, has been under the control of the undivided NCP since 2017.
Urging party workers to focus on development, Ajit Pawar cautioned them against making controversial statements during the campaign. “We are the ones who work for development. We will defeat those who tried to push this municipal corporation into debt,” he said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, are scheduled for January 15, with counting on January 16. The last date for filing nominations is December 30.
The Pawars’ reunion triggered sharp political reactions. BJP leader Navneet Rana said the development was not surprising and expressed hope that Sharad Pawar would soon join the NDA. NCP leader Zeeshan Siddiqui welcomed the move, calling it a step that would strengthen the party.
However, leaders from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) dismissed the alliance, asserting that “surname politics” would not influence voters. Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC said people vote based on work, not names, and that the reunion was driven purely by power considerations.