Speaking to party workers at a campaign rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pawar explained that the decision to jointly contest the elections on January 15 was made during the candidate selection process for the civic body, according to News18.
‘Clock’ and ‘Tutari’ unite
Ajit Pawar noted that while formalizing the candidate list for the Pimpri-Chinchwad elections, “the Nationalist Congress Party and the Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar faction opted to contest together in Pimpri-Chinchwad. This signifies our family coming together once more.”
He highlighted the election symbols of the two factions, saying, “For the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, the ‘clock’ and the ‘tutari’ (trumpet) have united. The family has come together,” as reported by News18.
His comments elicited applause from party members, many of whom regard the alliance as a pivotal development in one of Maharashtra’s important urban political arenas.
Focus on development and stability
Addressing the uncertainties that arose following the party split, Pawar acknowledged that there had been speculation about future directions.
Read more: BMC Elections 2026: Ajit Pawar’s NCP announces first list of candidates, check details
“There were many questions in people’s minds about what would happen. Often, decisions must be made in the interest of Maharashtra’s progress,” he stated.
He indicated that discussions regarding seat-sharing were already taking place at the local level. “I have talked about seat-sharing with local leaders, and an announcement will follow soon,” Pawar noted, encouraging workers to refrain from any controversial comments that might jeopardize the alliance, as per News18.
Positioning the coalition as development-oriented, he told party members: “We are those who work for development. We will eliminate those who attempted to burden this municipal corporation with debt.”
Talks beyond PCMC; Mumbai goes solo
According to a News18 report, discussions are also underway between the two NCP factions regarding a potential collaboration in the Pune Municipal Corporation elections, which hints that the PCMC alliance may be expanded.
Meanwhile, the NCP has decided to independently contest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. The party released its first list of 37 candidates for Mumbai’s civic polls on Sunday, December 28, which includes three members of Nawab Malik’s family.
Read more: BMC Elections 2026: Shinde’s Shiv Sena and BJP finalise seat-sharing, check details
Elections for 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including PCMC, Pune, and Mumbai, are scheduled for January 15, with vote counting set for January 16. The deadline for submitting nominations is December 30, as stated by the Maharashtra State Election Commission.
