Just months after one of Maharashtra’s most dramatic political splits, the Pawar ‘parivar’ is shaking hands again—at least on paper. In a move that has left political watchers scratching their heads, the NCP alliance appears to be rekindling, with Sharad Pawar’s faction and Ajit Pawar’s group announcing a joint ticket for the upcoming civic body elections in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad .
But don’t mistake this for a full-blown family reunion. This is a hyper-local, tactical arrangement—crafted not out of love, but out of cold, hard political calculus. And it’s sending ripples through the already fragile Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. So, what’s really going on? Let’s unpack the saga from the bitter 2023 split to this unexpected civic poll détente.
Table of Contents
- The Great Split: How the NCP Fractured
- The Local Truce Explained
- Why Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Matter
- The MVA Dilemma
- Is This the End of the Feud?
- What Comes Next for the NCP Alliance?
- Conclusion
- Sources
The Great Split: How the NCP Fractured
The drama began in July 2023, when Ajit Pawar—then deputy chief minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government—staged a midnight coup. He broke away from his uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP and joined the Eknath Shinde–BJP alliance, taking a majority of NCP MLAs with him .
The Election Commission of India (ECI) swiftly awarded the party name and symbol ‘clock’ to Ajit’s faction, dealing a severe blow to Sharad Pawar’s camp, which was forced to rebrand as ‘NCP (SP)’ . The split wasn’t just political—it was deeply personal, with Sharad Pawar publicly expressing heartbreak over his nephew’s actions.
The Local Truce Explained
Fast forward to late December 2025. After months of acrimony, both factions announced they would field a joint list of candidates for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections. A formal statement cited “consultations with grassroots workers” as the reason, suggesting that local cadres demanded unity to avoid vote-splitting against the BJP-Shinde Sena combine .
This isn’t a merger. It’s a strictly local electoral understanding. The two NC P factions remain separate entities at the state and national levels. But in Pune—a traditional NCP stronghold and Sharad Pawar’s political backyard—unity is survival.
Why Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad Matter
Pune isn’t just any city. It’s the intellectual and political nerve center of western Maharashtra. For the Pawars, losing Pune would be symbolic annihilation.
- Historical Stronghold: The NCP has dominated Pune civic politics for over two decades.
- Development Showcase: Pimpri-Chinchwad is an industrial powerhouse; controlling its civic body means influence over major infrastructure and business decisions.
- 2024 Aftermath: The split badly damaged NCP’s credibility. A united front here is a chance to rebuild trust with the urban electorate.
The MVA Dilemma
This local NCP alliance throws a wrench into the already-stuttering Maha Vikas Aghadi machinery. The MVA—comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress—was formed to counter the BJP-Shinde Sena axis. But now, one of its key constituents (NCP-SP) is sharing a platform with a faction allied to its biggest enemy (Ajit’s NCP, which is part of the ruling Maharashtra government with BJP).
Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders are reportedly furious, seeing this as a betrayal of the MVA’s core anti-BJP stance. “How can you sit with someone who is in government with the BJP?” is the unspoken question echoing through MVA corridors .
Is This the End of the Feud?
Almost certainly not. Political analysts view this as a temporary ceasefire, not a peace treaty. As veteran Maharashtra journalist Nitin Juglekar notes, “This is about saving face—and seats—in Pune, not healing family wounds.”
Sharad Pawar, a master strategist, knows that a divided NCP in Pune would hand the city to the BJP on a platter. Ajit Pawar, despite his alliance with the BJP, can’t afford to be seen as the man who destroyed his family’s legacy in their home turf. So, both sides have a short-term incentive to cooperate—even if they’re still filing lawsuits against each other in Delhi.
What Comes Next for the NCP Alliance?
This civic poll pact could have far-reaching implications:
- Electoral Success: If the joint list wins big, it could create momentum for broader reconciliation talks—though that remains unlikely before the 2029 state elections.
- MVA Strain: The alliance may fracture further, with Congress and Sena (UBT) questioning NCP (SP)’s commitment.
- BJP’s Response: The ruling BJP will likely exploit this as proof of MVA’s hypocrisy, using it in future campaigns.
For more on the evolution of Maharashtra’s political landscape, see our in-depth feature on [INTERNAL_LINK:maharashtra-political-alliances-history].
Conclusion
The so-called revival of the NCP alliance in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad is less about familial love and more about political survival. It’s a tactical maneuver by two estranged factions to protect their last bastion of influence. While it may bring temporary peace to the streets of Pune, the war within the Pawar parivar is far from over. This truce is a chapter, not the finale—and Maharashtra’s voters will be watching closely to see who blinks first.
Sources
- Times of India: Pawar family feud: From bitter split to Mumbai civic poll pact
- Election Commission of India: Official NCP symbol allocation order (July 2023)
- The Hindu: Inside the NCP Split: A Political Timeline