Last Updated:
By exploring a joint front, the two NCP factions aim to preserve their core electoral territory in Pune and Baramati
Analysts view these local alliances as a ‘test run’ for a more permanent realignment before the 2029 central and state polls. File image
In a remarkable shift within the landscape of Maharashtra’s regional politics, the two estranged factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) appear to be inching towards a significant realignment. On December 23, reports emerged that Sharad Pawar, the head of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), and his nephew, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, have reached an informal consensus to contest the upcoming municipal elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad together. This potential thaw in a bitter family and political feud comes just weeks after the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance secured a landslide victory in several local body polls, leaving both NCP factions with mixed results and a shared need for strategic consolidation.
The Civic Poll Catalyst
The catalyst for this unexpected rapprochement is the looming elections scheduled for January 15, 2026, for 29 civic bodies, including the Rs 74,000-crore Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
In their traditional bastions of Pune and Baramati, the division of the “Pawar vote” has historically benefitted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). By exploring a joint front, the two factions aim to preserve their core electoral territory. Supriya Sule, a senior leader of the Sharad Pawar camp, has confirmed that discussions are underway to create a “broad-based opposition” that could potentially include the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and parts of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). This “India-neutral” or local-centric approach suggests that the factions are prioritising regional survival over national alliance rigidity.
Internal Friction and ‘Low-Temperature’ Rebranding
However, the path to reunion is fraught with internal resistance. On December 24, the Pune unit president of the Sharad Pawar faction, Prashant Jagtap, tendered his resignation, expressing profound unhappiness over the prospect of aligning with Ajit Pawar’s group. Jagtap and other loyalists argue that such a merger undermines the ideological battle fought since the 2023 split. Despite these “high-temperature” outbursts at the grassroots level, the leadership’s tone remains “deliberately low-temperature”, with both Pawars avoiding direct personal attacks and instead focusing on the “welfare of Pune” as a common ground for cooperation.
A Strategy for 2029
Analysts view these local alliances as a “test run” for a more permanent realignment before the 2029 central and state polls. With the BJP increasingly asserting its “big brother” status within the Mahayuti—and even inducting several leaders from Ajit Pawar’s faction into its own ranks earlier this month—the deputy CM faces a diminishing strategic role within the NDA. Conversely, the Sharad Pawar faction seeks to regain the legislative numbers it lost during the split. While a formal merger remains a distant prospect, the current “civic truce” indicates that the Pawar family is preparing to reclaim its unified influence over the sugar belt and urban hubs of Maharashtra, signalling a major reshuffle in the state’s power dynamics for the years ahead.
December 26, 2025, 18:15 IST
Read More
