Ajit Pawar 'checkmates' BJP; Pawar clan reunites for Pune civic polls

In view of strengthening the hold of their respective parties ahead of the Maharashtra local body elections Ajit Pawar has been recently seen highlighting notable moves with some even going against the alliance parties in stateDespite the BJPs move to corner him following remarks on the irrigation scam Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar is currently executing a highstakes ldquocheckmaterdquo strategy against the BJP in the Pune and PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporations reported IANSWhile the two parties are allies in the statelevel Mahayuti government the upcoming civic elections across Maharashtra on January 15 have turned their relationship into a fierce local rivalryIn a move that stunned Maharashtras political spectrum Ajit Pawar has bridged the gap with his uncle Sharad Pawar specifically for the Pune and PimpriChinchwad municipal pollsDespite the split between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar in 2023 the two NCP factions have formed a local allianceNCP SP and NCP launch joint manifestoAjit Pawar and Supriya Sule on Saturday shared a dais to release a joint manifesto for Pune By reuniting the ldquoPawar Parivarrdquo votes Ajit Pawar has ensured the NCP vote bank remains consolidated preventing the BJP from benefiting from a split in Maratha and local loyalist votes reported IANSDeputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has launched an aggressive ldquoAlarm Campaignrdquo Ek Alarm Paach Kaam specifically targeting the BJPrsquos 20172022 tenure in the Pune Municipal Corporation PMC and PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporation PCMCAjit Pawar slams BJPIn an extremely shocking scenario NCP chief Ajit Pawar has publicly accused the BJP of turning PCMC which was once one of Indiarsquos richest civic bodies into a debtridden organisation Maharashtra Deputy CM also pointed out that under NCP rule PCMC had fixed deposits of Rs 3000 crore which he claimed have been depleted due to mismanagement reported IANSKnown for his extremely tactical moves Ajit Pawar has used phrases like ldquocorrupt demonrdquo and ldquodemonic hungerrdquo to describe the local BJP leadership accusing them of inflating project costs for CCTV installations and Smart City initiatives to benefit party workersCM Fadnavis warns Ajit PawarOn the contrary BJP has reacted sharply with state unit chief Ravindra Chavan and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis warning that if they ldquoopen their mouthsrdquo about Ajit Pawarrsquos past a reference to the irrigation scam it would cause him ldquoserious troublerdquo As per IANSHowever by joining hands with Sharad Pawar Ajit Pawar has created a local ldquofortressrdquo that the BJP is finding difficult to breach without risking the stability of the state governmentExperts say that Ajit Pawar is using the civic polls to reclaim his ldquoKing of Punerdquo title signalling to the BJP that while they may be partners in Mumbai Pune remains his undisputed home turfWith inputs from IANS