After Pune Corporators Join Sharad Pawar's Camp, Ajit's NCP Decides To Contest Maharashtra Local Body Elections Alone

National Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar on Sunday (21 July) announced that the party will contest local body elections on its own, despite being a part of the ruling Mahayuti coalition in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls.

He urged the party workers in Mahanagar Palika, Nagar Palika, Zilla Parishad and Taluka Panchayat to start their work and spread NCP's message among people.

The decision comes after the party's poor performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections where it won only one of the four seats it contested in Maharashtra as part of the Mahayuti alliance.

Moreover, the party recently saw defections to Ajit's uncle Sharad Pawar's camp, especially in the Pimpri Chinchwad area of Pune. 29 NCP corporators joined NCP-SCP in the presence of Sharad Pawar.

Soon, Ajit Pawar went to Pune to meet party leaders and understand the issues. It is believed that Pawar might have arrived at the decision to contest alone during this meeting.

Pawar has been at loggerheads with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since the Lok Sabha election results. He even declined the Minister of State Independent Charge position in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers.