Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Feb 9: Even as discussions continue over a possible merger between the two Nationalist Congress Party factions, their electoral understanding in recent Zilla Parishad elections has delivered clear political gains across rural Maharashtra.
The decision by the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) to contest the Pune Zilla Parishad polls together, along with coordinated seat-sharing arrangements in at least 10 other districts, appears to have revitalised the party’s rural base. The impact has been particularly strong in western Maharashtra, long regarded as the NCP’s core stronghold.
Both factions also seem to have benefited from a sympathy wave following the sudden death of NCP chief and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 28, which played a role in consolidating voter support in several districts.
The alliance in the local body elections was widely viewed as a precursor to a formal reunification of the two factions. Sharad Pawar had recently indicated that an official announcement on the merger would be made on February 12, after the declaration of the Zilla Parishad results.
Sources said Ajit Pawar had taken the lead in pushing for both the alliance and the proposed merger, arguing that divided votes were steadily eroding the political space available to both factions. The results from western Maharashtra appear to validate that assessment.
In Pune district, the NCP emerged as the single-largest party with an absolute majority in the 73-member Zilla Parishad, winning more than 50 seats. Both factions contested on the common Clock symbol across most of the district, barring a few friendly contests in the Ambegaon region. The unified symbol and coordinated strategy helped consolidate votes and deliver a decisive mandate.
After suffering setbacks in earlier municipal corporation elections, informal talks between the two factions had begun on jointly contesting the Zilla Parishad polls. Pune — the Pawar family’s political home turf — was chosen as the testing ground. Following these discussions, NCP SP state president Shashikant Shinde announced in January that both factions would fight the rural local body elections together.
The strategy also yielded dividends in Kolhapur, where the NCP emerged as the single-largest party in the Zilla Parishad and is poised to install its president. In the 68-member council, the NCP won 20 seats, ahead of the Congress (15), BJP (13), and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena (9). The Mahayuti alliance is expected to back an NCP leader for the top post.
In Sangli, while no formal alliance was declared, the two NCP factions contested seats based on mutual understanding. The NCP SP emerged as the largest party with 19 seats, followed by the Congress with 11. The NCP secured four seats, while the BJP won 15. With Congress support, the NCP SP is well placed to claim the Zilla Parishad presidency.
Satara saw a similar arrangement, with the NCP coordinating with allies to win 18 seats, making it the second-largest party in the Zilla Parishad.
Taken together, the results indicate that Ajit Pawar’s push for coordination, common symbols, and strategic seat-sharing in rural elections has significantly strengthened the NCP’s position, especially in western Maharashtra.
“The decision to contest together or with mutual understanding was taken by the senior leadership and it has helped the party immensely. We expect the leadership to now study these results carefully,” an NCP SP legislator said.