Maharashtra DyCM Ajit Pawar meets senior NCP SP leader Azam Pansare ahead of PMC polls

Following the meeting, NCP SP leader Azam Pansare told mediapersons that he and Ajit Pawar had a discussion on a lot of general issues and expressed the wish to have an alliance between the two parties.

"Ajit Pawar came to meet me after a long time. We had a lot of discussions on general issues... We wish to have an alliance (between NCP SP and NCP)... He told me that a decision will be taken soon," said Pansare.

This meeting took place after the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) decided to reunite ahead of the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation elections.

Following the reunion, NCP-SCP leader Ankush Kakade said that the Maha Vikas Agadhi partners, along with the temporarily united NCP, will be deciding on a "seat sharing formula" soon.

"Nationalist Congress Party- Sharadchandra Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party- Ajit Pawar have decided to contest the upcoming municipal elections together," the NCP-SCP leader told ANI.

Kakade said they will hold talks with the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) as well.

"We have a meeting with our other partners this afternoon. No discussions have been held on seat sharing. We will speak with Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), and all four parties will meet to discuss the seat-sharing formula. Ajit Pawar's faction and our faction's ideology are the same," he said.

However, when asked whether Ajit Pawar would join the MVA, he said both parties share a common ideological stance, but nothing is certain about his decision.

"What happens in the future, I don't know. What Ajit Pawar does, I don't know, but our ideology is the same as Phule and Ambedkar," he said.

This reunion of NCP factions marks a significant turn in Maharashtra politics, as it is the first time both parties will contest an election together since Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar broke away from the NCP, led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, in 2023.

The State Election Commission in Maharashtra has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Polling will be held on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16. (ANI)