‘Parivar has come together’: Ajit Pawar announces alliance with uncle Sharad Pawar 

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has announced an alliance between his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP (SP), led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, for the upcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections.

This partnership marks a reunion within the Pawar family as they plan to contest the local polls together. The elections are scheduled for January 15 across 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, with results to be declared the next day. The last date for filing nominations is December 30.

Ajit Pawar made the announcement during a campaign rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Sunday, stating that the "parivar (family) has come together". The unification aims to present a consolidated front in the elections.

He explained that while finalising the candidate list, both factions decided to contest together. Ajit Pawar said that despite questions about the outcome, decisions were made in the interest of Maharashtra’s development. He also mentioned discussions on seat-sharing with local leaders, which will be announced soon.

The 'clock' symbol represents Ajit Pawar's NCP, while the 'tutari' (trumpet) is the emblem for the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). Ajit Pawar emphasised that for the Pimpri-Chinchwad elections, the two symbols have united and the family has come together. He urged party workers to maintain discipline during the campaign, work hard, and avoid controversial comments during rallies.

Ajit Pawar said the alliance aims to focus on development and remove those who had put the municipal corporation in debt.

Along with the Pimpri-Chinchwad alliance, talks are ongoing between the two NCP factions for a possible tie-up in the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. This could influence the political landscape in Pune.

Earlier in the day, the Pawar family was present in Baramati for the inauguration of the Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence by industrialist Gautam Adani.