"Ajit Pawar has to answer to BJP, Amit Shah": Sanjay Raut on NCP alliance with Sharad Pawar in Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 29 : Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said that Maharashtra Deputy Ajit Pawar has to answer to the Mahayuti ally BJP for joining hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) for Pimpri Chinchwada civic polls.
The local body elections in Maharashtra are witnessing a shift in alliances. Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced an alliance with the NCP-SP for the upcoming civic polls in Pimpri-Chinchwad, calling it a moment of "family unity."
Taking a swipe at Ajit Pawar during a press conference in Mumbai, Sanjay Raut said, "Ajit Pawar has to answer to the BJP, and his boss Amit Shah. The BJP is contesting against Sharad Pawar, and you are forming an alliance with him for the Pimpri Chinchwad civic polls."
Pimpri Chinchwad will hold municipal elections along with 28 other civic bodies in Maharashtra on January 15, 2026.
Meanwhile, for the high-profile Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections, the NCP has decided to go solo and has announced a list of 37 candidates.
BJP, contesting alongside Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, has reached a seat-sharing agreement on 207 seats for the BMC polls.
"We have also reached an agreement on seat sharing. The BJP will contest 128 seats, and the Shiv Sena will contest 79 seats. Seat-sharing talks have concluded for 207 seats. For the remaining 20 seats, we will decide based on the candidate and the party after a decision is made at the higher level," Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam told reporters here after a meeting between the BJP and Shiv Sena concluded on Saturday.
While Satam exuded confidence that the Mahayuti will hoist the saffron flag of Hindutva over the BMC, estranged brothers Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray have joined hands for the Mumbai civic polls, bringing in the equation of the 'Marathi Manoos' plank.
On the other hand, Congress has joined hands with Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), which will contest on 62 seats in the BMC polls.
The results for the 29 Municipal Corporation elections, including Pimpri-Chinchwad and Mumbai, will be declared on January 16.