Pune

The rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and party founder Sharad Pawar, have decided to jointly contest the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in Maharashtra, an NCP (SP) leader said on Saturday.

The decision comes days after both factions suffered a significant setback in the Pune municipal elections, where the BJP made major inroads in what has traditionally been considered a Pawar stronghold. The BJP won 119 seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP finished a distant second with 27 seats and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) secured only three.

Announcing the decision, NCP (SP) Maharashtra unit president Shashikant Shinde said discussions between the two sides have concluded, paving the way for a joint fight in the rural local body polls scheduled for February 5.

“Both parties have held talks and agreed to contest the elections to 12 Zilla Parishads together. If required, we will also consider friendly contests in certain areas,” Shinde told reporters.

He said the NCP (SP) would carry out an internal review of its poor performance in the recent municipal corporation polls and recalibrate its strategy going forward.

Earlier in the day, Shinde met Sharad Pawar at an agriculture exhibition in Baramati tehsil of Pune district. Subsequently, a meeting was held at Pawar’s residence involving senior leaders from both factions, including Ajit Pawar, MP Supriya Sule, MLA Rohit Pawar, Jayant Patil and state Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne.

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Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis across Maharashtra are scheduled for February 5, with counting of votes to be held on February 7.