PUNE: Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar acknowledged Tuesday that bitterness between the two factions of NCP has eased after they came together for Pune Municipal Corporation and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, holding out hope for a possible patch-up with his uncle and party founder Sharad Pawar.He denied holding talks with Sharad Pawar, 85, on a merger or continued alliance but left the door open. “There has been no discussion with Pawar Saheb at all. However, I want to make it clear that there are no permanent enemies in politics,” Ajit Pawar said in an interview to TOI.“People can make whatever inferences they want from my statement,” he said. “All I want to say is that I am a follower of Yashwantrao Chavan and I believe in the politics of addition, not subtraction.”Ajit Pawar, 66, and Sharad Pawar formally split in July 2023 when the nephew broke away with several MLAs and joined BJP-led state govt as deputy CM. The rupture followed an earlier, short-lived alignment with BJP in Nov 2019. Now, after months of acrimony that spilled into Lok Sabha and assembly campaigns last year, the two NCP groups have allied for key civic polls in Pune and neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad.Asked whether the alliance would extend beyond the municipal elections, Ajit Pawar said no decision had been taken but acknowledged its immediate impact. “When such an alliance happens, it automatically helps reduce the bitterness on both sides,” he said, adding that neither group has traded barbs since the pact was sealed.Party workers were instrumental in bridging the divide. “My section convinced me to ally with them. Similarly, workers from other group conveyed the same message to their seniors,” he said. Ajit Pawar said he met the netas from Sharad Pawar camp, including Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar, after which city units negotiated seat-sharing.The deputy CM said the contest in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, initially seen as tilted towards BJP, has tightened. “Residents are not only listening to us but also responding positively,” he said, contrasting it with the response he saw while campaigning for his wife Sunetra Pawar during the Lok Sabha elections.He credited the improved mood to the reunion of NCP base. “NCP supporters have always given their first preference to Pawar Saheb. A section of them also likes my style of working,” he said. “When we split, our supporters were divided. Now… both sections have reunited.”Reflecting on his work ethic, Ajit Pawar traced it to his uncle’s influence. “I was in Class III when Pawar Saheb became an MLA,” he said, recalling serving tea to visitors. “I’ve been following the same principle in my political career for over three decades.”Responding to opposition allegations that NCP and BJP had made tacit adjustments by not forming alliances in PMC and PCMC, Ajit Pawar pushed back. “There is no match-fixing between us,” he said. “They are trying to strengthen their party and I am trying the same for mine.”He said the decision for Mahayuti partners to contest separately in the two civic bodies was taken by CM Devendra Fadnavis, citing BJP’s numerical strength in both corporations. “Had talks of an alliance between BJP and Sena failed early, we would have probably got Eknath Shinde’s party on our side in both civic bodies,” he added.
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