02 January,2026 06:15 PM IST | Beed (Maharashtra) | mid-day online correspondent
Ajit Pawar was in Beed on Thursday to felicitate winners of the recent municipal council elections. File Pic/X
Leaders from both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) showed signs of unity during Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's visit to Beed district ahead of Maharashtra local body elections.
Ajit Pawar was in Beed on Thursday to felicitate winners of the recent municipal council elections, the results of which were declared on December 21.
Ajit Pawar's NCP faction won municipal council elections in Beed, Parli Vaijnath and Dharur. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) secured victory in Majalgaon, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in Georai and Ambajogai.
At a public event, Beed MP Bajrang Sonawane from the NCP (SP) and MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar shared the stage with Ajit Pawar. Kshirsagar was also seen seeking the deputy chief minister's blessings, a gesture that drew attention amid the ongoing political divide.
After the programme, MP Sonawane also travelled in Ajit Pawar's helicopter, further underlining the show of bonhomie between leaders of the two factions.
During his visit, Ajit Pawar also inaugurated several development projects in the district. Addressing the gathering, he said that Parli MLA and former state minister Dhananjay Munde could not attend the event as he was on vacation.
The visit also witnessed political rivals coming together. Sahal Chouse, whose daughter-in-law Shifa Fatima Bilal Chouse was elected as Majalgaon civic chief on an NCP (SP) ticket, was seen alongside Majalgaon MLA Prakash Solanke, who belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction.
The developments have sparked discussion about improving ties between the two NCP groups at the local level.
Earlier, Ajit Pawar had announced an alliance between his NCP and the NCP (SP), led by his uncle Sharad Pawar, for the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic elections, saying the "parivar" (family) has come together.
"For the sake of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, the 'clock' and the 'tutari' (trumpet) have united. The parivar has come together," he had earlier said.
Pawar had urged party workers to work hard and refrain from making any controversial comments during rallies.
"We are the ones who work for development. We will edge out those who tried to put this municipal corporation in debt," Ajit Pawar had said, reported PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
