4 minutes of readingBombayUpdated: February 10, 2026 11:40 am IST
The decision of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party to contest the Zilla Parishad elections together using a common symbol in most seats and reaching a tacit agreement to share seats in several districts has paid political dividends in rural Maharashtra.
The results have also taken on greater significance following the death of Ajit Pawar, who had been a key supporter of the alliance between the two sides.
The understanding to jointly fight against Zilla Parishad polls in Pune district and coordinating seat sharing in at least 10 other districts appears to have helped both factions revive their performance in the rural belt, particularly in western Maharashtra, a region considered the traditional stronghold of the NCP.
The rural local body agreement was also seen as the first step towards the merger of the two NCP factions led by Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said a formal announcement on the merger of the two parties was scheduled for February 12 after the declaration of Zilla Parishad election results.
According to sources, it was Ajit Pawar who pushed for the alliance and then the merger, arguing that the division of votes was reducing the political space available to both factions.
The Zilla Parishad results in western Maharashtra seem to support that view.
In Pune, the NCP emerged as the largest party with an absolute majority among the 73-member Zilla Parishad and won over 40 seats.
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Both factions disputed the common Clock symbol across the district, barring some friendly feuds in the Ambegaon region. The move appears to have consolidated votes and helped the party achieve a clear majority.
After the setback suffered in the municipal corporation elections, talks had begun between the two factions to join the Zilla Parishad elections and choose Pune, the Pawar family’s turf, as the center of the experiment. Following the discussions, NCP (SP) state president Shashikant Shinde announced in January that both the parties would contest the rural local body elections together.
A similar strategy seems to have worked in Kolhapur too, where the NCP has emerged as the largest party in the Zilla Parishad and is set to install its president.
In the 68-member body, the NCP won 20 seats followed by the Congress with 15, the BJP with 13 and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena with nine seats.
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The Mahayuti alliance is expected to install an NCP leader as president, Zilla Parishad.
In Sangli, although no formal alliance was announced, the two NCP factions contested mutually agreed seats. The NCP (SP) emerged as the largest party by winning 19 seats, followed by the Congress with 11. The NCP won four seats while the BJP won 15. The NCP (SP) is in a strong position and is likely to install its president Zilla Parishad with the support of the Congress.
In Satara too, the NCP maintained an understanding with its allies and won 18 seats emerging as the second largest party in the Zilla Parishad.
Overall, the results suggest that the strategy advocated by Ajit Pawar of contesting rural local body elections through coordination and common symbols has strengthened the party’s position, especially in western Maharashtra.
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“The decision was taken by the senior leadership of the party to contest together or have understanding while sharing seats. It has helped the party considerably. We hope our leaders will now analyze the results in detail,” said an NCP SP MLA.
How 2 factions won
Pune: the largest party of the NCP
Kolhapur: the largest party in the NCP
Sangli: largest party of the PNC (SP)
Satara: the second largest party of the PCN
