'Parivar has come together': Ajit Pawar announces alliance with uncle Sharad for Pimpri-Chinchwad polls

Pune: In a significant political realignment ahead of the local body elections, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has announced that his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will contest the upcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections in alliance with the faction led by his uncle, Sharad Pawar.

Addressing a campaign rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Sunday, Ajit Pawar declared that the "parivar (family) has come together." He confirmed that the two factions have decided to finalize candidate lists jointly, marking a rare moment of unity where the ‘clock’ (NCP’s symbol) and the ‘tutari’ (NCP-SP’s symbol) have united.

"Many questions have arisen about the outcome, but sometimes decisions must be made in the interest of Maharashtra’s development. I have also discussed seat-sharing with local leaders, which will be announced soon," the Deputy Chief Minister stated.

Elections for 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the key civic bodies of Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, are scheduled for January 15, with counting to take place the following day. The deadline for filing nominations is Monday, December 30.

While unity has been forged in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the scenario differs in the neighboring Pune Municipal Corporation. Negotiations between the two factions for a Pune alliance reportedly collapsed on Saturday after a week of deliberations. Sources suggest the talks failed as the Ajit Pawar faction did not agree to key demands put forward by the Sharad Pawar-led group.

Following the breakdown in talks with his nephew’s faction, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has decided to resume coordination with its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), for the Pune polls.