<p>Mumbai: With Pawar-family patriarch and NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s photo with folded hands in the backdrop, Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule shared a political platform in Pune for the first time since the acrimonious split of June-July 2023 — a development that is being seen as the first step towards a possible reunification of the two parties in the months and years to come. </p><p>Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister and NCP president and Supriya Sule, the NCP (SP) working president, released the joint manifesto for Pune, on Saturday. </p>.Maharashtra civic polls: NCP factions release joint manifesto for Pune elections; Ajit Pawar and Sule share dais.<p>The two parties — who are on different sides of India’s larger political spectrum — are jointly contesting the municipal corporation elections in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), which are scheduled on January 15, 2026. </p><p>The Pawar family, which hails from Baramati, calls the shots in the Pune district. </p><p>Calling a truce in Pune by the two factions signals a major step in the Maharashtra politics, which is divided between the Maha Yuti-NDA comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-headed NCP (SP). </p><p>In the civic polls involving 29 municipal corporations, the ideological lines have blurred in Maharashtra and in Pune, the NCP-NCP (SP) has come together to keep hold in their family fort.</p><p>Leaders from both sides have joined hands to prevent splitting to avoid any benefit to the BJP, which currently eyes a second consecutive term in the Pune civic body.</p><p>With the Pawar cousins — Ajit Pawar, who is the Baramati MLA and Supriya Sule, who is the Baramati MP — in one frame, there is enthusiasm in the two groups of the NCP. </p><p>“The cousins seen together again on the party platform after many days has instilled new energy and fresh enthusiasm in the hearts of the workers. The coming together is a message of unity and hopes for the future,” a source close to the Pawar-family, told DH. </p><p>"The workers of both the parties want to unite. The two NCPs are together now (in Pune) all tensions in our family have ended," Ajit Pawar said in a television interview on Friday.</p><p>Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, however, said: "There has not been any discussions whether this alliance will continue.”</p><p>"Both the NCP and NCP (SP) believe in the Shiv-Shahu-Pune-Ambedkar ideology and are inclusive in nature. However, the final call rests with Pawar Saheb," a political observer said.</p>
<p>Mumbai: With Pawar-family patriarch and NCP founder Sharad Pawar’s photo with folded hands in the backdrop, Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule shared a political platform in Pune for the first time since the acrimonious split of June-July 2023 — a development that is being seen as the first step towards a possible reunification of the two parties in the months and years to come. </p><p>Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister and NCP president and Supriya Sule, the NCP (SP) working president, released the joint manifesto for Pune, on Saturday. </p>.Maharashtra civic polls: NCP factions release joint manifesto for Pune elections; Ajit Pawar and Sule share dais.<p>The two parties — who are on different sides of India’s larger political spectrum — are jointly contesting the municipal corporation elections in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), which are scheduled on January 15, 2026. </p><p>The Pawar family, which hails from Baramati, calls the shots in the Pune district. </p><p>Calling a truce in Pune by the two factions signals a major step in the Maharashtra politics, which is divided between the Maha Yuti-NDA comprising BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-headed NCP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-headed NCP (SP). </p><p>In the civic polls involving 29 municipal corporations, the ideological lines have blurred in Maharashtra and in Pune, the NCP-NCP (SP) has come together to keep hold in their family fort.</p><p>Leaders from both sides have joined hands to prevent splitting to avoid any benefit to the BJP, which currently eyes a second consecutive term in the Pune civic body.</p><p>With the Pawar cousins — Ajit Pawar, who is the Baramati MLA and Supriya Sule, who is the Baramati MP — in one frame, there is enthusiasm in the two groups of the NCP. </p><p>“The cousins seen together again on the party platform after many days has instilled new energy and fresh enthusiasm in the hearts of the workers. The coming together is a message of unity and hopes for the future,” a source close to the Pawar-family, told DH. </p><p>"The workers of both the parties want to unite. The two NCPs are together now (in Pune) all tensions in our family have ended," Ajit Pawar said in a television interview on Friday.</p><p>Supriya Sule, the daughter of Sharad Pawar, however, said: "There has not been any discussions whether this alliance will continue.”</p><p>"Both the NCP and NCP (SP) believe in the Shiv-Shahu-Pune-Ambedkar ideology and are inclusive in nature. However, the final call rests with Pawar Saheb," a political observer said.</p>