23 December,2025 02:30 PM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
The Ajit Pawar-led NCP on Tuesday said it has kept the option open to contest the upcoming Thane civic body elections independently. File pic
The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday said it has kept the option open to contest the upcoming Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) elections independently, alleging that its Mahayuti allies have excluded it from seat-sharing discussions, news agency PTI reported.
NCP Spokesperson Anand Paranjape claimed that while local leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have already begun talks to finalise seat-sharing arrangements for the TMC polls, the NCP has not been invited to participate in them.
"Even though meetings of the alliance partners are underway, the NCP has not been invited. Therefore, we have begun preparations to contest the elections independently," he said, according to PTI.
Paranjape also alleged that NCP's Thane District President, Najeeb Mulla, has not been contacted by either the BJP or the Shiv Sena.
He said the party would announce its seat expectations only after receiving a formal invitation for alliance talks, adding that 380 aspirants have been interviewed over the past two days, PTI reported.
"If the NCP is offered respectable representation in the alliance for the Thane Municipal Corporation, we are ready to contest together. Otherwise, the NCP is fully prepared to contest all 131 seats on its own," Paranjape said.
While reiterating that the NCP prefers to contest elections as part of the grand alliance wherever possible, he said the party would also consider local tie-ups or independent contests if required.
Referring to the recent elections to 288 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, Paranjape said mayors from the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance were elected in around 215 bodies.
"People of Maharashtra have reaffirmed their faith in the Mahayuti government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde," he added.
The long-pending elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, are scheduled to be held on January 15, with counting of votes the next day.
Senior Congress leader Satej Patil on Tuesday said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has contacted him with a proposal for a possible alliance for the upcoming Pune local body elections.
Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, Patil said the Congress hopes to contest the Pune civic polls as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and has already held three rounds of talks with alliance partners Shiv Sena and NCP (SP).
"I received a call from Ajit dada. The proposal (to tie up with Congress) had come for Pune. We are deliberating on it and holding discussions with the Congress's local leadership and the party's state president Harshvardhan Sapkal," stated Patilk.
The elections to the Pune Municipal Corporation are scheduled for January 15, with counting of votes to be held the next day.
Meanwhile, NCP Pune City President Subhash Jagtap said the rival factions of the party have also discussed a possible alliance for the civic polls.
"As far as seat-sharing is concerned, both factions are ready to arrive at a consensus. The official announcement will be made around December 25," stated Jagtap.
However, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) city unit president Prashant Jagtap expressed displeasure over the prospect of a tie-up between the two factions in Pune. Amid reports about his resignation, he said he was travelling to Mumbai to meet party leader Supriya Sule.
"I will not speak about the resignation issue. I am going to meet Supriya Sule in Mumbai and will comment after the meeting," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
