Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said that the people have not rejected Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar but have instead accepted the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). His remarks came a day after the BJP defeated both factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections. Responding to a query on who would be the ‘dada’ of Pune, Fadnavis said, “The people of Pune are the dada, and we are their sevaks.” Ajit Pawar is popularly referred to as ‘dada’, meaning elder brother, in Marathi.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Pune, Fadnavis thanked citizens for the “landslide victory” secured by the BJP in both Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) polls.
The NCP factions led by Ajit Pawar and his uncle Sharad Pawar had contested the elections together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad—considered strongholds of the Pawar family. The campaign witnessed sharp exchanges, with Ajit Pawar repeatedly targeting the BJP’s local leadership over alleged irregularities and what he described as derailed development during the BJP’s rule in the two civic bodies between 2017 and 2022. On Friday, the BJP delivered a major setback to the Pawars by winning 119 of the 165 seats in the Pune civic body. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP secured just 27 seats, while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) managed only three seats. The Congress won 15 seats.
In Pimpri-Chinchwad, the BJP achieved a clear majority by winning 84 seats in the 128-member municipal corporation.
Ajit Pawar Says Loss Will Be Discussed
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday congratulated the BJP following its sweeping victory over the NCP and NCP (SP) alliance in the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls. During the campaign, Pawar had accused the BJP— which governed the two civic bodies between 2017 and 2022—of corruption, irregularities, and stalled development, leading to a high-pitched and acrimonious contest. The BJP, an ally of the NCP in the Mahayuti alliance, had countered by urging Pawar to introspect before making such allegations. Speaking to reporters, Pawar said his party would sit together and discuss the reasons behind the electoral setback. Asked about opposition parties raising doubts over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Pawar declined to comment, stating that it was common for parties to blame EVMs after a defeat, while no such questions are raised after a victory.