For Pimpri Chinchwad civic poll, 2 rival NCP factions discuss an unusual proposal
NCP factions led by Ajit and Sharad Pawar meet to prevent vote split ahead of Pune civic polls, responding to BJP's solo campaign strategy.
PUNE: A phone call from NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) executive president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule has set the stage for the first round of talks between the two rival Nationalist Congress Party factions ahead of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections. Sule’s push to prevent a split in the traditional NCP vote comes a day after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the BJP would contest the civic polls independently, without its Mahayuti allies, in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Leaders of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP met in Pimpri Chinchwad on Tuesday, signalling early efforts to coordinate at the local level to prevent the BJP from gaining an advantage from a divided opposition vote.
Civic elections in Maharashtra are scheduled for January 15.
Nana Kate, election in-charge of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and Sunil Gavhane, a member of the election core committee of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, participated in the meeting.
The talks, described by both sides as informal, mark the first direct engagement between the two factions ahead of the civic polls.
“This was not a formal meeting,” Kate told reporters. “Sunil Gavhane met me to discuss how to face the civic elections. A few days ago, our leader Ajit Pawar had instructed us to hold talks with the other NCP faction, as they are ready to contest the elections on our symbol,” he said.
Kate said Sule recently called him in the context of his daughter’s wedding. “During that conversation, she advised that the two NCP factions should avoid dividing votes and that discussions should be initiated with local leaders,” he said, suggesting that the outreach from the senior Pawar camp played a role in opening channels of communication.
Gavhane said the meeting was part of a broader strategy emerging within the Sharad Pawar-led NCP to counter the BJP’s solo push in urban civic bodies. “Our senior leaders have instructed us that, to stop the BJP, alliances should be explored at the local level wherever possible. Accordingly, a core committee was formed and this meeting was held,” he said.
He added that both sides acknowledged that a three-cornered or fractured contest would only benefit the BJP. “It was felt that if the two NCP factions contest separately, it would lead to a split in votes, which could directly help the BJP,” Gavhane said.
Leaders from both camps cited recent developments in Kagal, Kolhapur district, where the two NCP factions came together for the local body elections as a possible template. In Kagal, coordination between leaders loyal to Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar helped consolidate the NCP’s base and prevent vote division, a model now being discussed for urban civic contests.
According to Gavhane, the initial round of talks has taken into account feedback from grassroots workers of both factions, many of whom have been pushing for unity at least at the ward level.
“The situation will become clearer in the next two to three days,” he said, indicating that more structured discussions could follow.
The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of the BJP’s decision to go it alone in key urban corporations, including Pune and PCMC, a move that has altered electoral calculations for both NCP factions and sharpened the urgency for tactical cooperation.
PUNE: A phone call from NCP leader Supriya Sule has initiated talks between rival NCP factions ahead of the January 15 civic elections in Maharashtra. The discussions aim to prevent vote splitting that could benefit the BJP, which plans to contest independently. Previous cooperation in Kagal highlights the potential for unity. Further talks are anticipated.