Baramati (Maharashtra) [India] June 20 : Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SCP) president Sharad Pawar said on Friday that no final decision had been taken yet regarding the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra, even as the Supreme Court cleared the path for polls to be held in the state.
Speaking to the mediapersons in Baramati, Pawar said, "We have not decided anything yet about the local body elections. The Supreme Court has given its verdict. Normally, the elections will take 3 months, but we have not discussed it yet."
He confirmed that the NCP-SCP, Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), and Kisan Mazdoor Party would soon meet to chart out their strategy.
"NCP-SCP, Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), Kisan Mazdoor Party will sit together. We want to fight the elections together," he added, signalling a continued commitment to opposition unity in Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde expressed confidence in his Shiv Sena faction's prospects in the upcoming local body elections, emphasising the party's commitment to development and its growing support base across the state.
Speaking on the ongoing preparations for the polls, Shinde said, "The elections are not just announced because we formed the government; this process has been ongoing since 2022. People now know that Shiv Sena is a party that promotes development and keeps its promises. Many people from Nashik and Maharashtra have joined the party. Municipal servants, sarpanches, and even individuals from Rajasthan have joined. All these joinings will benefit the upcoming local Swaraj elections."
On June 11, stressing that the state leadership will decide on the alliance in the local body elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that they will contest the polls under the Mahayuti alliance."Our state president, working president, and election committee have the right to decide on the alliance in the local body elections. No one else. Our role is to contest the elections under the Mahayuti. In some places, where it is not possible, there is a friendly fight," CM Fadnavis said.
On June 10, the Maharashtra government issued orders to initiate the drafting of ward boundaries for 29 municipal corporations, including key urban centres such as Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli.