Pawar family loses grip

Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the twin cities, were once firmly under the control o! the Pawar family, led by former Maharashtra chie' minister and former Union minister Sharad Pawar.

- Varad Bhatkhande

Until 2017, the family enjoyed multiple dominant stints in both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

Over the past decade, however, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has managed to wrest contro of both civic bodies for two consecutive terms.

The erosion of the Pawar family’s influence unfolded in phases, beginning with losses in Lok Sabha seats, followed by Maharashtra Legislative Assembly constituencies, and eventually the urban civic bodies. While the family continues to retain a presence in the rural parts of Pune district, the BJP has steadily begun breaching even those strongholds.

Ahead of the 2026 municipal corporation elections, despite the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the BJP being allies at the state and central levels, both parties announced a “friendly contest” in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. In a significant political development, the estranged uncle-nephew duo of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar came together, with both NCP factions uniting against the BJP. Despite the reunion, an aggressive campaign and a concentrated focus on the twin cities, the NCP delivered an underwhelming performance.