Ajit Pawar joins hands with estranged uncle Sharad Pawar for Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls

DEputy chief government minister and nationalistic united states congress company (Ajit Pawar sect) chief Ajit Pawar on Sunday confirmed that the two factions of the NCP will jointly contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections, making it the first civic body in Maharashtra where both sides have formally decided to go to the polls together after the party split.However, Pawar did not disclose how many seats each faction would contest, even as nomination deadlines draw close and opposition parties await clarity on the NCP’s candidate list.Speaking at Talawade in Pimpri-Chinchwad while campaigning for his party, Pawar struck a confident note, recalling his long-standing political connection with the region. “Whenever I have come to you, you have never disappointed me,” he told party workers, while cautioning them against complacency. “Party workers should not remain unguarded in Pimpri-Chinchwad,” he said.Also Read | As talks with NCP collapse, Sharad Pawar’s party returns to MVA table for Pune civic pollsTargeting the Opposition, Pawar said his party had demonstrated its development record in the industrial township. “We have shown how development was carried out here. Those who pushed Pimpri-Chinchwad into debt — the time has come to put them aside,” he said.With just two days left for filing nominations for the civic polls, Pawar acknowledged the suspense around candidate announcements. “The Opposition is waiting to see when the NCP will announce its candidates. But, we are also watching which candidates rival parties are putting up,” he remarked.Significantly, Pawar openly referred to the political rapprochement within the Pawar family and the party. “While facing these civic elections, NCP and NCP (SP) are going ahead together. Accordingly, this family has begun to reunite,” he said, signalling a rare public assertion of unity between the Pawar clan.Political observers said the PCMC decision could have wider implications beyond Pimpri-Chinchwad.In Pune, sources indicated that both NCP factions are once again in touch for seat-sharing talks for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections as well. The talks had stalled on Friday over seat sharing, prompting NCP (SP) to return to the negotiating table with MVA partners - Congress and Shiv Sena. However on Sunday, NCP (SP) did not turn up for alliance talks with MVA.Reports that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has not turned up for seat-sharing discussions with its Maha Vikas Aghadi allies - Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) - has added to speculations about possible realignments at the civic level.