Desk Correspondent , Mumbai - Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday stated that he is not dismissing the possibility of the two rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar, reuniting in the future. Speaking on the final day of campaigning for the January 15 civic body elections, Fadnavis noted that while the current alliance between the two groups in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad is a limited local arrangement to "keep their flock together," the volatile nature of state politics makes a broader realignment possible. He referenced the 2019 formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi as a reason for his cautious stance, suggesting that unlikely combinations cannot be entirely ignored.

Fadnavis characterized the current coordination between the Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions as a strategic move for tightly contested municipal races rather than a formal merger. He emphasized that the two sides are only fighting together in a few specific municipal corporations and have not officially combined at the state level. The Chief Minister suggested that leaders on both sides are projecting unity locally to prevent cadre defections, but he reiterated that the ruling Mahayuti alliance is prepared to respond to any permanent political shift should it occur.

Despite the speculation surrounding the Pawar family’s potential reconciliation, Fadnavis expressed confidence that the Mahayuti—comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—is poised to win key corporations including Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik. He maintained that Punekars prefer reliable services over the "freebies" promised by the rival NCP alliance, such as free metro travel. As the state moves toward larger state and national contests later in 2026, Fadnavis indicated that the Mahayuti will re-evaluate its strategy if the local cooperation between the two NCP factions evolves into a broader state-level partnership.