NCP defections to BJP strain Mahayuti ties ahead of PCMC polls

Pune: The induction of several former NCP corporators into the BJP ahead of civic polls has triggered discontent within the Mahayuti alliance, with the list including ex-mayors, deputy mayors, and standing committee chairpersons from earlier tenures in power in Pimpri Chinchwad. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Sunday voiced his displeasure over the recent defections, saying there was a mutual understanding among Mahayuti partners not to poach each other's officebearers and candidates, which is not being honoured.
"I will raise this issue within the alliance when I go to Mumbai," Pawar said. Hinting at possible retaliation, Pawar added that "once poaching begins, it does not stop, and others also follow it". "The civic elections are being held after nine years. Aspirants who have been preparing for the polls will feel disappointed and start looking for other options when such inductions take place," he said, adding that a few aspirants met him on Sunday. He said every party facing the civic elections will try to field stronger candidates, and he will do the same. On Saturday, the BJP inducted 23 leaders of Pimpri Chinchwad, most of them from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. Those who joined included former deputy mayors Prabhakar Waghere and Raju Misal, former standing committee chairperson Prashant Shitole, who was also serving as working president of the NCP city unit, and Usha Waghare, former standing committee chairperson and wife of former mayor Sanjog Waghere, who earlier joined the Shiv Sena (UBT). Except Sanjog, all others including his wife were with NCP. Former leader of opposition Vinod Nadhe and Kushagra Kadam, son of former NCP mayor Mangala Kadam, were also among those who switched sides. The large-scale defections are expected to hit NCP ahead of the civic elections, as many of those who joined the BJP were seen as strong contenders and local influential leaders in their respective areas. This also indicates that CM Devendra Fadnavis's call for a "friendly contest" in Pune and PCMC may not translate on the ground, with both allies appearing set for a tough and direct fight. A day after Ajit Pawar's remarks, the NCP on Monday inducted former BJP corporator Sandeep Waghere into the party. Waghere was unhappy with the BJP's recent induction of former mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) city president Sanjog Waghere and his wife, both of whom have been his long-time political rivals. Earlier, on Dec 17, the NCP also inducted five former corporators — three from BJP, one from Shiv Sena, and one from Shiv Sena (UBT). The BJP's ex-corporators who switched their sides also include Seema Sawale, a former standing committee chairperson of the municipal corporation. Sources in both NCP and the BJP said several more former corporators from either side are likely to switch camps in the coming days, even as tensions simmer between the two allies. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has long been an Ajit Pawar bastion, with the undivided NCP ruling the civic body for nearly two decades under his leadership before the BJP wrested control in 2017.

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