PUNE: Deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced that NCP and NCP (SP) will contest the upcoming Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections in an alliance.Addressing a campaign rally in Talawade for party candidates, Pawar said, “In Pimpri Chinchwad, NCP, the party with the clock symbol and NCP, the party with the trumpet symbol, will contest the civic election in an alliance. A parivar [family] is coming together as many people wanted this to happen.”Pawar said the seat-sharing arrangement between NCP and NCP (SP) has been finalized and will be announced within the next two days. “We come from a farming family; farming is our caste. Some decisions must be taken in the larger interest of Maharashtra,” he said.This marks the first official announcement of an alliance between the two parties, even as discussions continue for alliances in other municipal corporations, including Pune.During the rally, Pawar announced the party’s candidates for Ward 12, where the undivided NCP had won all four seats in the 2017 elections. The candidates are Pankaj Bhalekar, Sharad Bhalekar, Seema Bhalekar, and Charulata Sonawane. Later, at a public meeting in Chikhali for Ward 1, he announced Yash Sane, Vikas Sane, Sadhna Netaji Kashid, and Sangita Tamhane as party candidates.In his address, Pawar also credited NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar for bringing the IT park to Hinjewadi, saying the decision played a key role in the development of the twin city. It may be noted that under Ajit Pawar’s leadership, first Congress between 1992 and 1999 and then the undivided NCP ruled Pimpri Chinchwad between 1999 and 2017. The BJP wrested control of the civic body in 2017, winning 77 of the 128 seats, while the NCP finished second.He said that despite his party being in power for 25 years, PCMC never took loans for development works.“PCMC was considered one of the richest municipal corporations in Asia. Today, it is burdened with debt and allegations of corruption, which were never part of its earlier history,” he said.Pawar said the NCP would ensure representation for candidates from all communities, drawing inspiration from the ideologies of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Shahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, and BR Ambedkar. The candidate list, he said, would include a balance of youth and experienced leaders.Without naming individuals, Pawar also alleged that political opponents in Pimpri Chinchwad were threatening aspirants by warning that their construction projects would be stalled. “Women are being threatened, and such poaching politics has been never seen before.People have told me they were warned that their construction works would be stopped. Residents should not tolerate this, and justice must be ensured,” he said.
