The stage is set for a fiercely competitive five-cornered contest in the upcoming Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections. This follows the dramatic collapse of last-minute alliance negotiations between several major political parties on Tuesday, the final day for filing nominations.
Alliance Talks Break Down, Parties Go Solo
High-stakes talks for a pre-poll alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, as well as between the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT), fell through at the eleventh hour. Consequently, the BJP, Shiv Sena, and Congress have all decided to contest the crucial civic polls independently.
This development stands in contrast to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction, which had already cemented their alliance. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has forged a coalition with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP).
Seat-Sharing Formulas and Independent Contests
A BJP office-bearer confirmed the party's strategy, stating they will contest 123 of the 128 seats in the PCMC. The remaining five seats have been allocated to the Republican Party of India (Athavale), whose candidates will fight under the BJP's election symbol.
From the NCP camp, city president Yogesh Behl outlined the seat-sharing agreement between the two factions. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP will contest 110 seats, while the NCP (SP) will field candidates in 18 seats. Behl added that wards 9 and 20 will witness friendly contests between the two allied parties.
On the other side, Gautam Chabukswar, a former MLA and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, revealed that Congress withdrew from a likely alliance at the last moment. He detailed the coalition's formula: Shiv Sena (UBT) will contest 63 seats, MNS 19 seats, and RSP three seats. Congress office-bearer Manoj Kamble independently confirmed his party's plan to contest 60 seats, with AB forms already distributed to aspirants.
Why the BJP-Shiv Sena Partnership Unraveled
Maval MP and Shiv Sena leader Shrirang Barne provided insight into the breakdown of talks with the BJP. He stated that negotiations finally collapsed on Tuesday morning. "We initially demanded 29 seats, which was later brought down to 10. However, BJP MLA Shankar Jagtap informed me that their aspirants were unwilling to give up claims on several seats allocated to us, forcing us to contest independently," Barne explained.
He was quick to add a crucial caveat, emphasizing that while the two parties will contest the PCMC polls separately, their alliance at the state and national levels remains intact. Barne clarified that the decision to go solo was taken purely in the interest of accommodating their respective party workers at the local level.
The failure of these major alliances has effectively split the electoral battlefield five ways, setting the scene for one of the most unpredictable and closely watched civic elections in the industrial township of Pimpri Chinchwad. Voters can now expect a direct contest between multiple fronts, potentially reshaping the local political landscape.
