In an unexpected move, Ajit Pawar, National President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, announced on Sunday that the NCP will independently contest the upcoming local and civic body elections in Maharashtra.
During a meeting with party workers in Pimpri Chinchwad, where 28 NCP members recently joined the faction led by Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar stated, "While we partnered with MahaYuti allies for the Lok Sabha elections and will continue to do so for the Assembly elections, we will go solo for the civic and local body elections."
Pawar urged the party members to prepare for both the Assembly and local elections, emphasizing the importance of securing victories for the NCP.
This marks the first time NCP will attempt to independently compete in local and civic body elections since Ajit Pawar's split from the Sharad Pawar-led faction in July 2023.
Despite NCP's limited influence in Mumbai and a few other cities, it holds a significant presence in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. The party faces the challenge of bolstering its organizational strength across various districts and cities to successfully contest these elections independently.
Pawar's declaration to contest solo in local and civic elections coincided with the state BJP convention, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah urged party members to work towards the success of both the BJP (Kamal) and its allies, Shiv Sena and NCP, in the Assembly elections to establish a MahaYuti government.
On Friday, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule expressed the party's intention to contest not only the Assembly elections but also the forthcoming local and civic body elections alongside Shiv Sena and NCP. He encouraged party members to intensify voter outreach efforts.
Pawar's remarks suggested that while MahaYuti will remain intact until the Assembly elections, the three parties may choose to independently contest elections for zilla parishads, panchayat samitis, and municipal corporations.
Elections for 27 municipal corporations, 25 zilla parishads, and a few municipalities have been pending for nearly two years.
Pawar’s announcement followed a statement from the RSS-affiliated Marathi weekly 'Vivek,' which indicated that BJP workers were displeased with the party’s alliance with NCP. Previously, another RSS-linked publication, 'Organiser,' had also noted that the Lok Sabha results served as a reality check for the overconfident BJP, questioning its decision to align with NCP ahead of the general elections.
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