Ajit Pawar will return to MVA, NCP factions to unite, claims Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed that on Saturday, January 24, 2026, the two factions of the NCP will come together and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will return to Maha Vikas Aghadi as his heart is with his family.

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Speaking to reporters, Mr. Raut claimed that the ruling NCP has merged with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) as both are contesting on the ‘clock’ poll symbol in the upcoming Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in the state.

“Even though Ajit Pawar is a part of Mahayuti, he is still associated with MVA. Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar will come together as part of MVA. Ajit Pawar cannot step on two stones,” he said.

Ajit Pawar joined the then Eknath Shinde government along with eight MLAs in July 2024, which caused a split in the NCP. While the group led by him has taken the party name and ‘clock’ symbol, Sharad Pawar’s outfit is now called NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).

NCP factions had formed an alliance for municipal polls in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad earlier this month and announced a tie-up for the third phase of civic body polls scheduled to be held on February 5. They will contest on the clock symbol of the Ajit Pawar-led party.

Mr. Raut also alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was upset with the BJP over his post as mayor in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

He said even the central leadership in Delhi was not ready to give up.

In the recent local elections, the BJP won 89 seats and its ally Shiv Sena 29 seats, giving the Mahayuti group a narrow majority in the 227-member BMC.

Mr. Shinde reiterated that Mumbai will have a Mahayuti mayor, without addressing his stance on the issue.

The post of Mumbai mayor, though largely ceremonial, is a symbol of the ruling party’s political dominance. The mayor presides over important civic meetings of the nation’s wealthiest civic organization.