Cousins Ajit, Sule share stage, manifesto for Pune civic polls

In a rare show of unity, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the rival NCP (Sharad Pawar), headed by his uncle Sharad Pawar, released a joint manifesto on January 10, 2026, for the upcoming Pune municipal corporation elections.

The move marks a significant softening of ties between the two factions that split acrimoniously in 2023, reshaping Maharashtra’s political landscape. The joint announcement comes ahead of the January 15 civic polls to the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, part of elections being held across 29 local bodies in the state.

Ajit Pawar and his cousin Supriya Sule, the working president of NCP(SP), appeared together at a press conference to release the manifesto — a symbolic moment that underlined renewed coordination between the two camps.