Local leaders will take call on NCP-NCP (SP) tie-up for polls: Sharad Pawar

Pune, Nov 15 (PTI) NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said local leaders will decide on whether to ally with the NCP, headed by his nephew and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, for the local body polls in Maharashtra, indicating a turnaround in strained ties after a bitter split in 2023.

The NCP (SP) and the Nationalist Congress Party have already decided to jointly contest the elections to the Chandgad municipal council in Kolhapur district.

Notably, the NCP and the NCP (SP) are key constituents of the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA groupings, respectively.

Maharashtra is witnessing new permutations and combinations ahead of the local body polls, blurring the line of ideologies between traditional ruling and opposition alliances.

Parties are typically keen to control local bodies, which allows them to expand their grassroots network and hold the levers of power at the lower tiers of the Panchayati Raj system.

When asked about the possible tie-up between two NCPs for the local body elections, Sharad Pawar said, "I don't know about these talks taking place in any district. Our party discussed preparations for the Nagar Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti polls. Local leaders (of NCP and NCP-SP) will decide (on alliance) at the local stage".

Since the Sharad Pawar-founded NCP split in July 2023, when Ajit Pawar and several MLAs joined the then Eknath Shinde government, causing acrimony and legal battle, this is the first time the two factions will be fighting polls together. The announcement for the alliance is, however, restricted to the Chandgad municipal council so far.

Elections will be held in 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats on December 2. Votes will be counted on December 3. PTI COR NSK