Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule on Tuesday (December 23) made a significant statement on speculation about an alliance between the Sharad Pawar group and the Ajit Pawar group for the Pune Municipal Corporation elections. She said no formal talks have begun so far.
Sule stressed that Pune’s election is not about any individual but about the people of the city and its development. She clarified that neither side has sent an official proposal for an alliance. Discussions, she said, are taking place at the ward level, with each ward having its own political calculations. She added that detailed discussions within the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) have already taken place.
Appeal to Congress on Alliance
Sule said the decision on whether to include any party in an alliance would be taken only after detailed discussions. “This is not a childish matter. It concerns everyone’s political career and cannot be taken lightly,” she said. Emphasising unity, she said efforts would be made to keep the Mahavikas Aghadi together and appealed to the Congress to contest the elections jointly.
‘Our Decisions Will Be in Pune’s Interest’
The Baramati MP said that whatever decisions are taken will be in Pune’s interest. She pointed out that the same party has been in power in Pune for the past seven years, during which traffic congestion has increased. Questioning governance claims, she asked what happened to promises like 24×7 water supply, noting that even her own building depends on water tankers. She also flagged pollution as a major issue, drawing parallels with cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune, and questioned the lack of solutions for air pollution, traffic, and improvements in schools and hospitals.
On Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray
Commenting on political realignments, Sule said changes keep happening in politics. On a possible alliance between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, she reiterated that the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) wants the Mahavikas Aghadi to contest municipal elections across Maharashtra in a united manner. She added that talks with the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) are ongoing.