Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar are back. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) president Ajit Pawar on Sunday confirmed that the two rival factions of the NCP will jointly contest the upcoming Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections. The two factionssplit in 2023, and it is for the first time since both sides have formally agreed to go to the polls together in a civic body in Maharashtra.
However, Pawar stopped short of clarifying seat-sharing arrangements between the two factions, even as the deadline for filing nominations draws close and rival parties await clarity on the NCP’s final candidate list.
Why Has The Pawar Family Reunited After Breaking Apart In 2023?
Addressing party workers at Talawade in Pimpri-Chinchwad during an election campaign, Pawar streseed on his long-standing political association with the region while urging caution against complacency.
“Whenever I have come to you, you have never disappointed me,” Pawar told party workers. At the same time, he warned against letting their guard down. “Party workers should not remain unguarded in Pimpri-Chinchwad,” he said.
Targeting opposition parties, Pawar said his party’s 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 remarked.
Will The Pawar Family Reunion Go Beyond The Civic Polls?
Pawar openly referred to the rapprochement within the Pawar family and the party, linking it directly to the civic elections.
“While facing these civic elections, NCP and NCP (SP) are going ahead together. Accordingly, this family has begun to reunite,” he said, making a rare public assertion of unity between the two Pawar-led factions.
Political observers noted that the decision to contest the PCMC elections jointly could have implications that extend beyond Pimpri-Chinchwad, potentially shaping future political alignments in Maharashtra.
The 2023 NCP Split: The Rift Between Ajit Pawar And Sharad Pawar
The NCP formally split in July 2023 after Ajit Pawar, nephew of party founder Sharad Pawar, joined the then Shiv Sena–BJP coalition government led by Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis.
Following the split, the Election Commission allotted the NCP name and its clock symbol to the Ajit Pawar-led faction. The faction led by former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar was subsequently named the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
Ajit Pawar and his loyalists joined the Shinde–Fadnavis government, with Pawar taking oath once again as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar’s First Open Rebellion Against Sharad Pawar
The 2023 split marked the first time Ajit Pawar openly rebelled against his uncle, the influential Maratha leader Sharad Pawar, and formally broke the party.
In 2019, Ajit Pawar had briefly become Deputy Chief Minister in Devendra Fadnavis’s cabinet but returned to the NCP soon after. Within months, he again took oath as Deputy CM in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
After the MVA government collapsed in 2021 following Eknath Shinde’s rebellion within the Shiv Sena and his alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), speculation intensified that a section of the NCP led by Ajit Pawar could also align with the Shinde–Fadnavis dispensation.
Whenever questioned by the media on this possibility, Ajit Pawar remained evasive. His stance drew criticism when Sharad Pawar announced his decision to step down as national president of the NCP. While most party leaders attempted to persuade Sharad Pawar to reconsider, Ajit Pawar said the decision should be respected.
Reasons Behind The Pawar Split
For years, Ajit Pawar had been attempting to establish himself as a mass leader, often operating under the shadow of his uncle. Political observers say he frequently devised strategies for local and state elections but rarely received public credit for his role.
Despite being entrusted with key responsibilities and portfolios, Ajit Pawar was never given a top organisational position such as state party president. Some senior leaders within the NCP were reportedly wary of elevating him to a plum post.
According to observers, Ajit Pawar’s sense of grievance dates back to 2004. That year, the NCP won 71 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, while the Congress secured 69 seats. The two parties had contested the polls together against the Shiv Sena–BJP alliance under a pre-decided formula: whichever party won more seats would claim the Chief Minister’s post.
In that scenario, Ajit Pawar believed he was the natural choice for Chief Minister from the NCP. However, Sharad Pawar chose to hand over the CM’s post to the Congress and instead negotiated for four additional ministerial portfolios, a decision that, observers say, left Ajit Pawar feeling sidelined.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
