For decades, the Pawar name carried significant electoral weight in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, serving as a testament to the enduring importance of the Pawar name. Instead, the civic poll results have delivered one of the sharpest setbacks yet to both Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, signalling a clear shift in urban politics and exposing the limits of their tactical cooperation. This time, even a rare show of unity between the Pawars failed to stop the BJP juggernaut. The civic poll results from Maharashtra’s most politically significant urban centres send a blunt message — legacy alone no longer wins cities.
Early trends from both municipal corporations show the BJP racing far ahead. At the same time, the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), despite tactical coordination, struggled to convert influence into votes.
Pune: BJP Tightens Its Grip
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In the Pune Municipal Corporation, the BJP has taken a commanding lead, topping trends in around 80 wards. In contrast, Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction is leading in just six wards, while Sharad Pawar’s group is ahead in three. The Congress, aligned with Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray’s MNS, is leading in only three wards. Neither Thackeray faction has managed to open its account independently.
Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, which contested the Pune polls alone, is also not leading in any ward.
The scale of the BJP’s dominance is striking, especially given that Pune has long been a battleground where the NCP, in its undivided form, held sway through local networks and cooperative politics. That advantage now appears sharply eroded.
Pimpri-Chinchwad: A Stronghold Slips Away
If Pune was a setback, Pimpri-Chinchwad was a shock. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), one of India’s richest civic bodies after Mumbai, had been under the control of Sharad Pawar’s undivided NCP since 2017. This election was widely seen as a test of whether the Pawars could still command loyalty here.
The verdict suggests otherwise. The BJP is leading in around 77 wards, while Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction is ahead in 37. Sharad Pawar’s group is leading in just one ward. The Shiv Sena (UBT)–MNS combine is ahead in only one ward, while Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is leading in about 10. The Congress has failed to take the lead anywhere.
For Ajit Pawar, who once dominated PCMC politics, the result underlines a difficult truth: personal clout without organisational unity and a clear narrative is no longer enough.
A Limited Reunion, Limited Impact
The election was preceded by speculation about a possible Pawar family reconciliation, especially after the BJP-led Mahayuti’s sweeping victory in the Maharashtra Assembly elections last year. Though Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar did not formally reunite, there was seat coordination and restrained campaigning against each other.
That effort did not translate into voter consolidation.
On the ground, party workers remained divided, local leaders competed for influence, and voters were unsure whether the cooperation was genuine or merely tactical. The lack of clarity blunted whatever advantage the Pawars hoped to gain by avoiding a direct split of votes.
BJP Breaks The Pawar Bastion
The BJP’s performance reflects years of steady groundwork. The party ran both Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad between 2017 and 2022 and retained visibility even after administrators took charge when elections were delayed due to a Supreme Court ruling on reservations.
Maharashtra minister and BJP leader Nitesh Rane on Friday said the strong performance of the BJP and Shiv Sena in the Mumbai civic polls reflected public approval of the alliance’s Hindutva-focused campaign.
Responding to early trends, Rane said the results amounted to a clear mandate for the ideological plank the parties had emphasised during the election. In a post on X written in Hindi, he said, “Jo Hindu ki baat karega woh Maharashtra pe raj karega” (Those who speak for Hindu interests will rule Maharashtra), and ended the message with “Jai Shri Ram.”
In this election, the BJP contested independently, without relying on its Mahayuti partners, the NCP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena. That decision paid off. Superior booth management, a consistent message focused on development, and strong penetration in middle-class housing societies gave the party a decisive edge.
Pune’s electorate has changed over the past decade. First-time voters, professionals, and apartment-based communities now dominate large parts of the city. These voters respond more to governance, infrastructure, and national leadership narratives than to traditional local power brokers.
The NCP, by contrast, appeared reactive, leaning on past goodwill rather than presenting a compelling urban vision.
Implications For The BMC Election 2026
The civic trends also offer clues about Mumbai’s political future. In early trends from the BMC election scenario, the BJP-led Mahayuti is ahead in 109 seats, positioning the BJP as the likely single largest party. The Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS combine is leading in 67 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 11.
The irony is hard to miss. Sharad Pawar’s decision to back Ajit Pawar appears to have strengthened the Mahayuti overall, while potentially weakening Ajit Pawar’s bargaining power within the alliance. With the BJP emerging dominant, the NCP may find itself with limited leverage.
BJP leaders have already begun framing the mandate as an endorsement of their “development-driven” governance, hinting at a “triple engine” model, Centre, state, and civic body, powered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity.
Yet even they concede, privately, that the Pawars helped widen the alliance’s social reach, particularly among farmers, cooperative networks, and the sugar belt.
What Next For The Pawars?
The results raise uncomfortable questions. Should Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar consider a full political reunion, or has this experiment shown the limits of half-measures? For now, both camps insist that their cooperation was restricted to civic elections and that no merger is on the table.
But if unity is to mean anything in the future, it will require more than seat-sharing. It will demand clarity on leadership, a resolution of organisational overlaps, and a credible urban agenda that speaks to modern cities.
For the moment, one conclusion is clear — in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the Pawar brand no longer guarantees victory. The BJP has filled that space, and done so decisively.
