MUMBAI: The results of the civic body elections have delivered a major blow to uncle and nephew duo Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, who were hoping that a possible merger of their Nationalist Congress Party factions would help them emerge as a consolidated force against the BJP.
In Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations, long considered bastions of the Pawars, the BJP registered a landslide victory, raising serious questions about vote transfer and public acceptance of any reconciliation between the two NCP factions.
In Pune Municipal Corporation, the BJP won 123 of the 165 seats. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP secured 21 seats, while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) managed only three. The Congress performed better than the Sharad Pawar faction, winning 16 seats. In Pimpri Chinchwad, the BJP again dominated with 86 seats, while the NCP won only 36. The Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde secured six seats.
The poor performance of both NCP factions continued in other civic bodies as well. In the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, the Ajit Pawar faction won two seats, while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) secured just one seat. In Thane, the NCP managed only four seats despite having senior leader Jitendra Awhad in the fray.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the BJP and Shiv Sena for their civic poll victories in a social media post but made no mention of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, signalling what political observers see as the BJP beginning to distance itself from its ally.
Political analysts say the results show that even a combined Pawar force does not pose a serious challenge to the BJP in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is also expected to continue expanding the BJP’s base in traditional NCP strongholds, even if it strains relations with Ajit Pawar’s party.
During the campaign, Ajit Pawar attempted to counter the BJP with promises such as free bus and metro services, but voters in the twin metro cities rejected these assurances. Analysts believe that even if Ajit Pawar aligns closely with the BJP ahead of the 2029 Assembly elections, the BJP may not concede seats to the NCP and could ask it to contest independently.
The only positive outcome for Ajit Pawar was his party’s performance in the Ahilya Nagar Municipal Corporation, where the NCP won a majority against the BJP.
Observers say Ajit Pawar now faces a difficult choice between remaining in power at the cost of weakening his party and carving out an independent political identity. Sharad Pawar, meanwhile, is seen to have erred by once again placing trust in his nephew, a move that could affect the future of his daughter Supriya Sule, a sitting Lok Sabha MP.
With the NCP (SP) caught between political uncertainty and leadership questions amid Sharad Pawar’s advancing age, the civic poll results underline a shifting political landscape in Maharashtra’s urban centres, firmly tilted in favour of the BJP.