PUNE, 9 NOV. Despite the three-party Mahayuti (Grand Alliance) government in the state and at the centre, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday indicated that his party might contest the upcoming local body elections independently.
Pawar said that while the initial stance of the alliance's top leaders was to contest all forthcoming elections together, local workers and functionaries have started presenting differing views as the elections draw nearer. He clarified that since there are different viewpoints regarding contesting the local self-government elections, a decision will be made accordingly.
He reminded the audience that even when his party was part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, they contested elections other than the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections separately from the Congress and the other faction of the Nationalist Congress Party.
Pawar held a review meeting with officials and workers from Purandar, Daund, Shirur, Junnar, Khed, Ambegaon, and Mulshi talukas. During the meeting, workers from various parties in Mulshi and Bhor talukas, including Vijaya Jadhav, the women's city chief of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party in Chakan, joined the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar.
Pawar explained that during the ongoing review, workers from various areas are now putting forward different opinions. He stated that although the initial decision was for the three Mahayuti parties to contest together, as the elections approach, the local situation is different, and the right to decide how to fight the elections will be given to local leaders. Since the three parties are together in the Mahayuti, a decision will be made in the coming days. He mentioned that he had discussed contesting the election together with Shiv Sena leader Vijay Shivtare, who suggested waiting for the reservation announcement and assessing the number of aspirants before making a decision.
Deputy CM Pawar emphasized that local body elections are taking place after eight years, and the political landscape has changed significantly with some new parties emerging. He stated that it is natural for everyone to want an opportunity. He concluded that after the reservation is declared, the decision on how to contest the elections will be made after reviewing the local situation and discussing it with office-bearers.
In a related development, MLA Shankar Mandekar, present at the joining event, stated that Bhor will see a contest between the BJP (which he implied is associated with Sangram Thopte) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction). He confirmed that the party has given local leaders the right to make decisions and that in Bhor, the fight will be BJP (Thopte) versus NCP. The BJP's Nagaradhyaksha (Council President) of Bhor, Nirmala Aware, joined the Nationalist Congress Party in the presence of Ajit Pawar.
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