Ajit Pawar Announces Alliance for Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Elections
NCP Alliance for Upcoming Elections
Ajit Pawar, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, declared on Sunday that his faction will join forces with the Sharad Pawar-led group for the forthcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections.
This announcement was made during the launch of his party's election campaign in Talewade, Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad region, located near Pune, is recognized as a stronghold for the NCP.
The primary competitor for the NCP alliance in this region is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is also allied with Ajit Pawar's faction at the state level.
The ruling coalition in the state, known as Mahayuti, includes the BJP, the Eknath Shinde-led faction of Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar's NCP group.
On the other hand, the Opposition coalition, Maha Vikas Aghadi, consists of the Shiv Sena (led by Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Congress, and the faction of NCP led by Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar's announcement follows a recent alliance formed between the Uddhav Sena and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena for the municipal elections.
"In Pimpri Chinchwad, the NCP, represented by the clock symbol, and the NCP with the trumpet symbol will collaborate for the civic elections," Ajit Pawar stated. "A family is uniting as many have wished for this to occur."
He also mentioned that discussions regarding seat-sharing would be concluded within the next two days.
VIDEO | Pune, Maharashtra: Ahead of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar says he and his uncle Sharad Pawar will contest the polls together. "For the sake of the upcoming PCMC polls, the clock and the trumpet have come together," he… pic.twitter.com/UeKSUVg3VL
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 28, 2025
The municipal elections across 29 cities, including Pimpri-Chinchwad, are scheduled for January 15, with vote counting set for the following day. The nomination process commenced on December 23 and will close on Tuesday.
Ajit Pawar remarked that the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation was once regarded as one of Asia's wealthiest municipal bodies, but now it faces significant debt and corruption allegations that were previously absent.
While both factions of the NCP have agreed to collaborate in Pimpri-Chinchwad, discussions regarding the Pune Municipal Corporation elections are still ongoing.
Opposition leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi expressed that this development does not concern them, as they have a contingency plan in place.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leaders in Pune indicated that they had anticipated the move by the Sharad Pawar faction and have prepared an alternative strategy.
They confirmed that the Congress and Uddhav Sena would continue to work together and seek arrangements with smaller parties like the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi.
A spokesperson for the Congress party stated that they would participate in the civic elections alongside the Uddhav Sena while accommodating other coalition partners.