The two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions came together in an attempt to reclaim their former strongholds of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, which the undivided party had controlled for several terms before losing power in 2017. However, those hopes were dashed on Friday as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won both municipal corporations with clear majorities, bettering its performance compared to the last election.

Loss in Pimpri-Chinchwad

Despite making emotional appeals asking citizens to vote for NCP candidates, and promising to personally monitor development by visiting the city every eight days, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar failed to gain control of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for the second consecutive civic election in what was once considered his political stronghold. The NCP managed to gain only one additional seat compared to the previous election, settling at 37 seats.