In a significant political development ahead of the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar announced that his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will jointly contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections with the party led by his uncle, Sharad Pawar. The announcement signals a reunion of the two Pawar family factions for the civic polls scheduled to be held on January 15.

Ajit Pawar announced while addressing an election campaign rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Sunday. Emphasising unity, he stated that the long-divided family has come together for the upcoming elections. “The parivar (family) has come together,” he said, highlighting the joint decision taken by both factions to contest the municipal elections together.

Explaining how the alliance was finalised, Ajit Pawar said, “While finalising the candidate list for the municipal elections, both factions decided to contest together, bringing the family back together.” He acknowledged that several questions were being raised regarding the political implications of the decision, but stressed that broader considerations guided the move.

“Many questions have arisen about the outcome, but sometimes decisions must be made in the interest of Maharashtra’s development,” he said. Ajit Pawar also confirmed that discussions regarding seat-sharing are underway, and clarity on the arrangement will be provided soon. “I have also discussed seat-sharing with local leaders, which will be announced soon,” he added.

Using party symbols to underline the unity, Ajit Pawar said that the symbols of both factions have come together. He noted that the ‘clock’ symbol associated with his faction and the ‘tutari’ symbol linked with the Sharad Pawar-led group are now united for the civic contest.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections are part of a larger civic exercise in Maharashtra. Elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune civic bodies, will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for the following day. The last date for filing nominations for these elections is December 30.

Meanwhile, talks are also ongoing between the two NCP factions regarding a possible alliance for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. Political discussions around Pune have seen several twists over the past few days.

After prolonged discussions, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP on Saturday decided to resume talks with the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) for the upcoming Pune civic polls. This decision came after negotiations with the Ajit Pawar-led faction failed to reach a conclusion.

Negotiations between the two NCP factions had been continuing for the past week but ultimately collapsed. According to sources, the talks fell through as Ajit Pawar did not communicate a final decision and did not agree to key demands put forward by the Sharad Pawar-led faction.

Earlier, the possibility of an alliance between the two NCP factions had triggered tensions within the MVA in Pune. The situation had prompted the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) to consider contesting the elections together. However, with the NCP–SP now resuming discussions with the MVA, coordination meetings among all three parties have restarted.

The coming days are expected to bring more clarity on alliances and seat-sharing arrangements as parties prepare for the crucial civic polls across Maharashtra.