Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha Election 2024: Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar made a big announcement on Sunday. Pawar said that his party will contest the Maharashtra civic elections independently.

Actually, during the Lok Sabha elections, the NCP had a very poor performance in Maharashtra, after which the attitude of many NCP leaders seems to be changing. Many leaders have even resigned. During this time, Ajit Pawar is facing a lot of challenges to prove the strength of his party because assembly elections are also coming in the state. 

Is there a rift in the grand alliance?

Addressing Nationalist Congress Party workers in Pimpri Chinchwad town on Sunday, Ajit Pawar argued that contesting elections independently would help strengthen the workers. "Even though we are allies in the Lok Sabha and state assembly, Mahayuti members are free to contest local body elections independently," he said.

When will the civic elections be held?

The dates for the elections of local bodies have not been announced yet. Let us tell you that this includes municipal councils, town panchayats and district councils. The ruling Mahayuti alliance includes Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP and NCP led by Ajit Pawar.

decision taken at such a time

Ajit Pawar's statement of contesting the local body elections alone has come at a time when just a few days ago, a Marathi magazine associated with the RSS had termed the alliance of Ajit Pawar-led NCP with the BJP as wrong. In this magazine, Ajit Pawar's party was held responsible for the defeat of BJP in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. 

Pimpri Chinchwad means Ajit Pawar

Ajit Pawar and another deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Pune on Saturday night and discussed developmental issues. Addressing a BJP convention in Pune on Sunday, Shah called for a massive mandate for the saffron party-led Mahayuti alliance in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

Ajit Pawar also said that Pimpri Chinchwad is synonymous with his name. Taking a dig at Sharad Pawar, he said, 'Pimpri Chinchwad means Ajit Pawar and Ajit Pawar means Pimpri Chinchwad. No one can deny this fact.'