3 min readMumbaiJan 21, 2026 10:02 PM IST
First published on: Jan 21, 2026 at 10:02 PM IST
A drubbing in urban local body elections, being reduced to a non-player in civic bodies and cornered in western Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar is faced with the herculean task of ensuring his party’s existence in the upcoming Zilla Parishad polls.
He is not alone. His estranged uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP is relegated to the lowest among the mainstream political parties in the state. By allying with the NCP, with which it is fighting a legal battle since the split orchestrated by Ajit Pawar, the NCP-SP is fighting its battle for political survival.
After the upcoming Zilla Parishad (ZP) polls, the state will not witness any elections till the 2029 Lok Sabha elections. The Pawars are now tasked with the challenges of battling the growing influence of BJP in their home turf and to safeguard party organisation by achieving electoral victories.
On the last day of filing nominations for the ZP polls, both parties have decided to field joint candidates on one symbol, except for Maval and Ambegaon in Pune district. They will strategically use respective party symbols — the clock and the man blowing trumpet — for the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections. Candidates will be fielded using whichever symbol proves more advantageous in a particular constituency.
The strategy was finalised by leaders of both the parties during a joint meeting following the municipal elections. Consequently, NCP candidates will contest on both symbols in Pune district and other parts of the state.
While the legal battle over the party symbol has reached a decisive stage in the Supreme Court, the political understanding between the two factions appears equally significant. Regardless of the court’s final verdict, both sides have decided to contest the ZP elections with the same unity they displayed during the municipal elections.
“It is to avoid confusion among voters as one person will vote twice, for Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti. If we contest on one symbol, it will clear the confusion,” said an NCP minister on the condition of anonymity.
The urban local body polls have cornered deputy CM Ajit Pawar in his home turf of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. After having lost grip from the urban areas, a defeat in rural Pune will throw him on defensive track within the state government. The party won only three seats in Mumbai and is unlikely to play a major role in the ongoing tussle for mayoral post between the BJP and Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena.
“The Sena and BJP have their issues going on. We are not going to get involved in it as we have very little stakes,” the minister added.
Historically, western Maharashtra has remained a stronghold of Pawars with a special focus on Pune, Satara and Solapur. It was largely because the NCP was a party of local tycoons from the cooperation sector. With the BJP grabbing power, both in the state and Centre, these leaders slowly switched their allegiance to the BJP. In addition, following the split in the NCP, the political strength was divided. All these districts have now slipped from their control.
The Pawars are putting up a joint effort in a desperate attempt to save their political empire in 12 districts that go to polls.
After the upcoming Zilla Parishad (ZP) polls, the state will not witness any elections till the 2029 Lok Sabha elections 
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