Maharashtra Municipal Election Results 2026: The results of elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra have delivered a sharp political message and few families have felt it more acutely than the Pawars. For the first time in decades, neither faction of the Nationalist Congress Party, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP nor the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), has managed to secure control of a single major urban civic body.
The outcome has pushed the once-dominant clan onto the defensive and triggered fresh questions about its future relevance in Maharashtra’s fast-shifting political landscape.
Verdict delivers a blow to Pawar dominance
At the centre of the verdict is the expanding footprint of the BJP, which is set to retain control of both the Pune Municipal Corporation and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for a second consecutive term.
These two urban power centres were once considered natural turf for the Pawars and their loss shows how decisively the BJP has consolidated its position in Maharashtra’s cities.
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Forced reunion that failed to stop BJP
The civic polls were notable for an unusual reunion. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) came together for the first time since Ajit Pawar split the party in 2023 and joined the BJP-led Mahayuti government. According to an Indian Express report, the alliance was born of compulsion rather than conviction. Both factions needed each other to take on the BJP and reclaim Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Instead, the experiment ended in a comprehensive rejection.
For Sharad Pawar’s faction, the setback is particularly stark. The NCP (SP) failed to open its account in 24 civic bodies at the time of writing, raising doubts about its organisational strength in urban Maharashtra. Ajit Pawar’s NCP, despite being part of the ruling dispensation at the state level, fared no better in the two marquee contests, suffering a rout at the hands of BJP.
Ajit Pawar’s balancing act and voter pushback
This outcome has left Ajit Pawar at a crossroads. Since his 2023 rebellion, the Deputy Chief Minister had largely maintained a cooperative relationship with the BJP, avoiding public confrontation. That equation changed during the civic polls. When CM Devendra Fadnavis announced that the BJP would contest independently in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Ajit Pawar pivoted sharply. He joined hands with his estranged uncle while continuing to sit in a BJP-led government.
During the campaign, Ajit Pawar openly targeted the BJP over alleged corruption in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s civic administration. The attacks were met with an unusually blunt response from the BJP. State president Ravindra Chavan said the party “regretted taking Ajit Pawar along”.
However, voters appeared unconvinced by Ajit Pawar’s attempt to straddle both camps. The defeats in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad suggested that the electorate rejected what many perceived as a double strategy.
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What this loss means for NCPs
The bigger question now is strategic survival. Ajit Pawar must decide whether to retreat, quietly coordinate with the BJP and accept a diminished role within the Mahayuti or explore a full-scale reconciliation with Sharad Pawar in the face of the BJP’s growing dominance. A reunion could be tested again in the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections but the civic verdict suggests that unity alone may no longer be enough.
For the Pawar family, long accustomed to shaping Maharashtra’s politics, the municipal results will be more than a local setback. |
