Sharad Pawar hints at alliance with MVA for upcoming civic polls
If there is a tie-up, we will not get all the seats. Some will go to our allies, and we must be ready to work hard where we contest, he said
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday hinted at the possibility of an alliance with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners for the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and other local body elections in Maharashtra. He also urged party workers to focus on capturing power in Pune, calling it an important city that needs proper urban planning.
Pawar was addressing a workers’ meeting of the NCP (SP) city unit at Mahatma Phule Auditorium, Wanowrie, in the run-up to the civic elections. Senior leaders and a large number of party workers were present.
“The party leadership will decide on alliances for the municipal elections. Some parties are helping us at the national level, some at the local level. We belong to the stream of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,” Pawar said.
He cautioned workers about seat-sharing in case of an alliance. “If there is a tie-up, we will not get all the seats. Some will go to our allies, and we must be ready to work hard where we contest,” he added.
Highlighting Pune’s rapid transformation, Pawar said, “Earlier, a single building housed five to ten people. Today, multi-storey complexes have come up in the same places, and the population is increasing. With this growth comes new challenges, and we need a clear vision to address them. We also have several experienced leaders who have served as mayor and can guide the city.”
The meeting came soon after deputy chief minister and rival NCP leader Ajit Pawar spent two days in Hadapsar, meeting party workers and visiting local residences. The Sharad Pawar faction quickly organised its own gathering in the same constituency, signalling the brewing contest between the two factions in Pune, which is Sharad Pawar’s home turf.
Both factions of the NCP have already begun preparations for the PMC elections, underscoring the high stakes involved in the politically significant district.
