Alliance talks between NCP(SP) and NCP for Pune civic polls hit dead end

Talks on a possible alliance between the NCP (SP) and the Ajit Pawar-led ruling NCP for next month’s Pune civic elections appear to be deadlocked; The latter does not accept the proposal of the Sharad Pawar-led party to contest the elections with its own poll symbols.

Elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including Mumbai and Pune, will be held on January 15. The deadline to apply for candidacy is December 30.

Senior NCP (SP) leader Ankush Kakade said that the party leadership in Pune met Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday, December 26, 2025, but talks on possible alliance for Pune civic elections failed to make any progress.

Mr. Kakade said, “There can be no talks about the alliance between us. We went to meet the NCP leaders to convey that the NCP (SP) will contest the election on its own symbol and (if the alliance is realised) they can fight on its own symbol. It seems they are not ready for this offer.”

He said NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule was also of the view that the party would prefer to stay with its alliance partners Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) since NCP (SP) is with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

NCP’s election symbol is an analog alarm clock; NCP (SP) was given the symbol of a man playing the ‘turha’ (traditional trumpet).

Two days ago, NCP (SP) city unit president Prashant Jagtap resigned from the party amid alliance talks between the two NCP factions. Jagtap joined the Congress on Friday, December 26.

According to Congress leaders, Jagtap refused to ally with “communal forces” and chose his party without compromising on ideology.