Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra, Dec 29: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced an alliance between his faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP (Sharad Pawar) for the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections asserting that the Pawar family has come together for the upcoming civic battle scheduled on January 15.
Addressing party workers at a campaign event, Ajit Pawar said the two NCP factions would jointly contest the polls, symbolically bringing together the party’s traditional election symbols — the ‘clock’ and the ‘tutari’ (trumpet). “For the sake of these municipal elections, the ‘clock’ and the ‘tutari’ have come together. The parivar has united,” he said.
Calling on party cadres to stay focused on governance issues, the Deputy Chief Minister urged them to prioritise development and refrain from making controversial remarks during campaigning. He accused previous administrations of burdening the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body with debt and vowed to ensure accountability. “We are the ones working for progress. We will ensure those who tried to burden the municipal corporation with debt are pushed out,” Pawar said.
The announcement has fuelled speculation of a broader rapprochement between the two NCP factions, with talks reportedly underway for a possible tie-up in the Pune Municipal Corporation elections as well.
Earlier in the day, members of the Pawar family were present in Baramati, where industrialist Gautam Adani inaugurated the Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune, are slated for January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. The last date for filing nominations is December 30.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stepped up its campaign for the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body with the slogan “Abki baar, 125 paar,” expressing confidence of securing a clear majority. Reacting to the BJP’s claims, NCP leader Yogesh Behl accused the party of political overconfidence and alleged pressure tactics against rival parties. “The BJP is showing political overconfidence. Election results are decided by voters, not slogans or premature projections,” he said.
