Talk of Sharad Pawar and his estranged nephew Ajit Pawar joining hands for next month’s civic polls in Maharashtra has gained momentum, following a similar move by the rival Thackeray cousins earlier this week.
Ajit had split the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), founded by his uncle, in 2023 and struck an alliance with the BJP. He is now one of the two deputy chief ministers in the BJP-led Devendra Fadnavis government.
Sharad’s NCP faction is part of the Opposition alliance both in the state and at the Centre.
If the Pawars do clinch an electoral alliance — as insiders suggest is likely — they would be taking on the BJP in their traditional stronghold of Pune.
The civic polls in Maharashtra are poised to witness contests between constituents of both the ruling and Opposition alliances at many places.
Leaders of Sharad’s party met Ajit on Friday to discuss seat shares and said a “positive result” was likely soon.
“Previously, we had a meeting on an alliance, but for the first time we met the honourable deputy CM… on seat sharing,” Vishal Tambe, spokesperson for Sharad’s faction, told reporters in Pune.
“We discussed all sorts of issues at the meeting. A positive outcome is expected in a day or two.”
Party working president and Sharad’s daughter Supriya Sule had on Thursday acknowledged that talks were under way, though she added that nothing had been finalised.
“Of course, we are exploring all alliance possibilities. Ajit Pawar repeatedly says he has not abandoned that ideology,” Sule had told reporters.
“Right now, the focus is on the corporation elections. We are in a dialogue with them, but no decision or final offer has been made so far.”
Pune district has two big civic bodies — the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation — that are considered the richest after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Elections to 29 civic bodies across Maharashtra are scheduled for January 15.
Thackeray cousins Uddhav and Thackeray had on Wednesday jointly announced an electoral alliance for the Mumbai civic polls. Their decision, after two decades of estrangement, is being widely seen as one driven by the political compulsion of protecting their turf in the country’s financial capital.
A similar urgency appears to be pushing the Pawars towards a rapprochement. Uncle and nephew are keen on winning the two cash-rich civic bodies in the Pune region, from which their parties draw their core political strength.
While the BJP won the Pune Municipal Corporation in 2017, Sharad’s undivided NCP held the civic body in Pimpri-Chinchwad, a manufacturing hub. Court cases prevented elections to the major civic bodies in Maharashtra after 2017, till now.
Since 2022, all the municipal corporations have been run by government-appointed commissioners.
An alliance between the two Pawars for the civic body polls could mark the beginning of a larger political realignment, potentially leading to a merger of the two parties that could see a unified NCP come under the NDA umbrella.
Calls for such a reconciliation had begun to surface after the BJP-led Mahayuti’s landslide victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections late last year.
The speculation gained momentum on the first day of 2025 following certain
public comments made by Ajit’s mother, Ashatai Pawar, after a temple visit.
“I prayed for the reunion of Ajit and his uncle,” Ashatai, who rarely speaks to the media, told reporters. “All disputes should end. Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar should unite.”
Months later, however, Sharad dismissed the possibility of a tie-up. “We will never align with an alliance led by the BJP,” the 84-year-old said.
Family insiders, however, suggest that Pawar Sr could revisit his position under what they described as “intense pressure” from party MLAs.
“There is pressure from our MLAs and grassroots leaders, who say they are not receiving funds or government support for development projects. They are asking, ‘How long can we survive in this condition?’” an MP from Sharad’s party said.
For the BJP, a Pawar family reunion could be good news at the national level, for it will deal another blow to the Congress. Such a development could also complicate equations within the Mahayuti in Maharashtra.