Maharashtra local body election: NCP launches ‘Alarm’ campaign, targets BJP ahead of Pune polls

The Nationalist Congress Party NCP whose poll symbol is a clock on Wednesday launched a new campaign titled ldquoAlarmrdquo ahead of the January 15 Maharashtra local body elections in Pune and PimpriChinchwad civic bodiesThrough the campaign the party targeted the local leadership of its ally the BJP accusing it of failing to provide basic civic services in both citiesAnnouncing the initiative NCP president and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said worsening civic issues including water shortages garbage accumulation traffic congestion and rising pollution levels were ldquoalarm bellsrdquo pointing to administrative failure at the municipal level news agency PTI reportedAccording to PTI the NCP maintained that the two key civic bodies required the ldquoAjit Pawar modelrdquo of discipline and delivery At the outset Pawar clarified that the campaign was limited to the Pune and PimpriChinchwad municipal corporations and was not linked to the functioning of the central or state governmentsThe NCP is in an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra and at the Centre however both parties are contesting Pune and PimpriChinchwad civic body polls separatelyI would like to clarify at the beginning that the Alarm campaign only concerns the failures of municipal bodies in Pune and PCMC where the BJP was in power from 2017 to 2022 he said reported PTIPawar claimed the campaign was based on ground surveys conducted over the last six months and complaints received directly through Jansamvad interactions with citizensDry taps tanker queues potholeridden roads garbage mounds and worsening air quality show an execution crisis in the civic bodies The alarm is ringing and the cities need to wake up asserted the NCP leader whose home turf is Pune districtWithout naming the BJP Pawar blamed the ruling partyrsquos local leadership for the deterioration of civic infrastructure in PMC and PCMC despite governing them for several years He alleged that development had stalled in Pune and PimpriChinchwad due to poor planning and lack of accountabilityThe Alarm campaign will be a digitalfirst and groundbased initiative featuring short videos of NCP candidates highlighting civic problems at actual locations such as potholes garbage dumps and traffic bottlenecksThe campaign revolves around the theme One Alarm Five Works focusing on 24x7 clean water supply potholefree roads smoother traffic timely garbage collection and sanitation creation of public spaces with pollution control and accessible healthcare facilities in every wardPawar said the NCPs governance model rooted in the ShivShahuPhuleAmbedkar ideology prioritises execution over rhetoricWhen the undivided NCP helmed the two civic bodies development was planned and delivered Efficient governance is the highest form of public service noted the Deputy Chief Minister who holds finance and planning portfolios in the BJPled Mahayuti government in the state reported PTIThe NCP sought to draw a distinction between its role in the state government and the functioning of the two key civic bodies asserting that PMC and PCMC required what it described as the Ajit Pawar model of discipline and deliveryPawar while addressing a press conference in PimpriChinchwad last week alleged corruption in PCMC and targeted the local BJP leadership for graft claiming the oncerich civic body has been pushed into debt over the last nine years Later speaking in Pune Pawar accused the BJPrsquos local leadership of derailing the cityrsquos development Despite receiving substantial funds from the Centre and the state government he claimed the local BJP leadership could not carry out meaningful development in Pune city while ruling its civic bodyWith PTI inputs