In a significant political development ahead of the crucial municipal corporation elections, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is actively exploring an alliance with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena for the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). This move comes after the much-anticipated seat-sharing talks between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shinde faction of Shiv Sena, both partners in the ruling Mahayuti alliance at the state level, collapsed for these two key civic bodies.
Alliance Talks Take a New Turn
While the two factions of the NCP have already declared an alliance for the upcoming polls, Ajit Pawar confirmed on Thursday that discussions are underway with Shinde's Shiv Sena. This potential partnership aims to mount a formidable challenge against the BJP, which currently holds a strong position in both civic bodies. The local units of the Shiv Sena in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have openly accused the BJP of attempting to dominate the alliance and not offering a fair share of seats for them to contest.
Ajit Pawar stated, "I already had a round of discussion with Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant for the alliance in PMC and PCMC. We will again hold talks in the hope of a positive outcome." He made these remarks to the media in Pune after visiting the victory pillar in Koregaon Bhima.
BJP-Shiv Sena Deadlock and Mumbai Formula
The failure of the BJP-Shiv Sena talks in Pune stands in contrast to the situation in Mumbai. After intense negotiations lasting a week, the two parties finalized a 137-90 seat-sharing formula for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Initially, Sena functionaries had pointed to a dispute over 14 seats, placing the onus on the BJP, as the larger partner, to accommodate everyone. Political observers noted that Deputy CM Eknath Shinde ultimately prevailed, securing a "respectable" number of seats for his party.
Mumbai BJP chief MLA Ameet Satam announced, "Our talks are over. We will now campaign jointly and make sure Mahayuti's mayor is anointed in BMC. Smaller allies will be given tickets by us from our quota."
Pune's Political Chessboard
Despite the breakdown, the BJP's leadership in Pune remains hopeful of salvaging the coalition with Shinde's party. Murlidhar Mohol, BJP's in-charge for Pune district and a Member of Parliament, commented on the impasse. He pointed out that despite having only a single corporator in the PMC, the Shiv Sena was demanding a disproportionately large share of seats. In contrast, the BJP, with 105 corporators in the PMC, was willing to make accommodations.
Mohol expressed optimism, stating, "The senior leadership of both parties, including chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, are discussing it at their level, and we are hopeful that the alliance will work out in PMC and PCMC."
The political landscape was set when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an alliance between the BJP and Shiv Sena for most of the state's 29 municipal corporations, including Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. However, the two allies could not arrive at a seat-sharing agreement by the last day of nomination filing. Consequently, aspirants from both the BJP and Shiv Sena filed over 100 nominations independently in the two corporations, setting the stage for a potential multi-cornered contest.
As the NCP now maneuvers to secure Shiv Sena's support, the political equations in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad remain fluid, with the final alliances likely to determine the balance of power in these important urban local bodies.
