Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader Supriya Sule on Wednesday (December 24, 2025) stated that her party is making efforts to create an alliance with a combination of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for elections to some of the municipal corporations in Maharashtra.
“We are in discussion; our efforts will be on the same line till the end. However, in a democracy, there must be discussion, and people have the right to express their will. Besides, Pune needs a change for development,” said Ms. Sule.
As polls for 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra are scheduled for January 15, the political parties in the State are exploring every permutation and combination for making alliances and seat-sharing arrangements. For the polls to the Pune Municipal Corporation, the NCP-SP has been exploring an alliance with the NCP. The NCP-SP also wants to bring on board the MNS for the polls in Mumbai.
However, Ms. Sule did not clarify whether the NCP-SP and the NCP will contest together, saying the final decision will be taken only after all the doubts of her party workers are addressed.
Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar loyalist and Pune NCP-SP party president Prashant Jagtap resigned on Wednesday, in an indicator that both the NCP factions will contest together in Pune.
“I will always have faith in Sharad Pawar… today, tomorrow. I am grateful for having worked in several roles for the last 26 years in the party. I am not the kind of party worker who will contest from any party for the sake of saving my seat. I am not the person who gets anxiety after losing elections and joins other parties for the winnability factor. I lost in the last election but built a network of workers and have faith in the people of my Hadapsar constituency,” he said.
A day ago, Mr. Jagtap expressed his wish to resign, saying that if the party aligns with the NCP, he would definitely quit, as the alliance would only benefit the Ajit Pawar faction. After the 2022 split in the undivided NCP, this is the first municipal corporation polls for 165 seats in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad, where both factions have been exploring an alliance.
Ms. Sule also confirmed having a six-hour meeting with Mr. Jagtap to assuage his apprehensions. However, with the resignation submitted to NCP-SP State president Shashikant Shinde, it is clear that Mr. Jagtap is not happy with the arrangements in progress.
Published – December 24, 2025 10:09 pm IST
