Maharashtra Local Body Elections: Will Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar join hands after Uddhav -Raj Thackeray alignment? What Supriya Sule said that has put Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis under pressure?
Maharashtra Local Body Elections: After a long hiatus, elections for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are finally being held. Before the elections, Maharashtra's fragmented political families are showing signs of reuniting.
On one hand, Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, who had been estranged for decades, have joined hands, and their parties have formed an alliance. A similar situation now seems to be developing between Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar.
Supriya Sule's statement has sparked fresh speculation
Just a few years ago, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) split into two factions, but now Sharad Pawar's daughter and NCP (Sharad) faction MP Supriya Sule has made a statement about her cousin brother Ajit Pawar that has sparked fresh speculation.
Responding to a question about an alliance with Ajit Pawar's NCP faction, Supriya said that he hasn't abandoned his ideology and that discussions regarding an alliance are ongoing.
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray held a joint press conference on Wednesday and announced that both parties will contest the BMC elections together. It is not yet clear whether the Congress and NCP (Sharad Pawar) will join the Thackeray brothers. But in the meantime, Supriya Sule has hinted at a possible alliance with Ajit Pawar.
In response to a question about Ajit Pawar's NCP faction, Supriya Sule said, "Yes, it is true that we are discussing an alliance."
She said further,"Ajit Pawar repeatedly states that he has not abandoned his ideology. Currently, our focus is on the local body elections. We are discussing with Ajit Pawar, but no decision has been made yet."
BJP's alliance partners are struggling for their survival
On the other hand, the BJP, which has already won the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections, is riding high on confidence. However, its alliance partners are struggling for their survival. This is why both factions of the NCP are in talks with each other. Shinde and Fadnavis are certainly feeling the pressure.
It is noteworthy that since the NCP split in 2023, the two factions have been in opposing camps. In the 2024 elections, Ajit Pawar's NCP won 41 seats, and he once again became the Deputy Chief Minister. Meanwhile, the NCP (Sharad) faction managed to win only 10 seats. Of the seats where the two NCP factions contested against each other, Ajit Pawar's NCP emerged victorious in 27 constituencies.
Prakash Kumar Pandey