As Maharashtra prepares for high-stakes elections to 29 municipal corporations, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on January 15, a high-profile meeting in Baramati has sent political shockwaves across the state. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) supremo Sharad Pawar hosted industrialist Gautam Adani in his hometown, with the entire Pawar family present for a grand welcome, a move that has significantly altered the political narrative ahead of the polls.
The Baramati Gathering: A Family Affair with Political Undertones
Adani visited Baramati on Sunday, December 29, 2025, to inaugurate the Sharadchandra Pawar Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence at the Vidya Pratishthan, an institution run by the Pawar family. The optics of the visit, however, dominated the discourse. Adani was accompanied by NCP chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a car driven by Sharad Pawar's grandnephew and NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar.
The reception committee was a telling display of family unity, featuring Sharad Pawar's daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule alongside Ajit Pawar's wife and MP Sunetra Pawar. This event marked a continuation of the Pawar-Adani association; in 2022, Adani had inaugurated the Science and Innovation Activity Centre at the same Vidya Pratishthan campus.
MVA's Attack on BJP Blunted, Internal Unease Surfaces
The warm hospitality extended to the industrialist has put the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in a tight spot. The Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP(SP)'s partners in the opposition MVA, have consistently attacked the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti for awarding major Mumbai projects like the Dharavi redevelopment, port operations, and airport development to the Adani Group.
Several Congress leaders, speaking anonymously, admitted the event shows the opposition MVA in a "poor light" and critically weakens its central attack line against the BJP's alleged "pro-corporate tilt." A former Congress minister expressed scepticism, noting, "Earlier he invited Modi and Shah to Baramati, and now it is Adani. It certainly hurts the Opposition."
While the Congress's state leadership tried to downplay the incident, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad was critical, stating the opposition should show unity on issues concerning the common man, especially when "the BJP government is allowing industrialists to loot Mumbai."
Strategic Silence and Long-Standing Ties
The BJP has maintained a calculated silence on the apparent thaw between the NCP factions. Party insiders suggest this is a strategic move to keep channels open with Sharad Pawar at the Centre, particularly amid signs of unease within the Mahayuti and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde's frequent Delhi visits. With the BJP short of a majority in the Lok Sabha, the NCP(SP)'s eight MPs could prove crucial for stability, making any alienation unwise.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut pointed to Sharad Pawar's 2015 autobiography, "Lok Mazhe Sangati," where Pawar described Adani as a "hard-working, simple and down-to-earth individual" and revealed he had suggested Adani enter the coal sector. Raut clarified that their fight is against the Modi-Shah duo for "handing over Mumbai to Adani."
This is not the first instance of Pawar charting an independent course. He previously opposed a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Hindenburg report against the Adani Group, advocating for a Supreme Court-monitored panel instead. He also took a distinct stand on Operation Sindoor, urging political unity on national security, and broke ranks with the opposition on a bill regarding the automatic removal of jailed ministers.
The Baramati bonhomie, just weeks before the civic polls, has thus become a significant political moment, potentially acting as a precursor to realignments in Pune's civic politics and reshaping the opposition's strategy against the ruling alliance's economic policies.
