16 Ajit Pawar netas from Maharashtra's Pimpri Chinchwad meet Sharad Pawar ‘with plans to return’

PUNE : At least 16 former Pimpri Chinchwad corporators, including its city unit president, who sided with NCP chief Ajit Pawar, met NCP (SCP) chief Sharad Pawar at his residence in Pune on Saturday.
The former corporators said they want to return to his faction and are likely to join the party soon. Pawar confirmed the development on Sunday. A former MLA’s son is among those who met him.
Pawar said, “A large number of former corporators from Pimpri Chinchwad came to meet me after they came to the conclusion that their decision (to go with Ajit Pawar) was not a good one and we should be united for the betterment of Maharashtra. We will welcome them.” He added that he is spending at least two to three hours every day meeting people who wish to join NCP (SCP).
The undivided NCP ruled Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation for a decade. After the split, only eight of the 62 office-bearers of its city unit remained with Sharad Pawar while the rest sided with Ajit Pawar.

Of the 38 corporators who won the civic election in 2022 on an NCP ticket, 34 joined Ajit Pawar while only one was with Sharad Pawar after the split. Three corporators passed away. Besides, Anna Bansode, the party’s lone MLA from Pimpri constituency, went with the deputy CM.
A senior NCP leader from Pimpri Chinchwad, who was part of the delegation that met Pawar on Saturday, told TOI that several leaders had met Ajit Pawar in Mumbai the same day.

“We want to contest the assembly election from Bhosari, but BJP has a sitting MLA and it is clear that NCP will not get the seat in Mahayuti. Hence, everyone decided that we should return to Pawar Saheb and seek tickets. As many as 30 former corporators from Ajit Pawar’s NCP in Pimpri Chinchwad want to return to Sharad Pawar. Of these, 16 met him on Saturday,” he said, adding that the meeting with Pawar was positive and he had immediately agreed to take them back.

NCP’s city unit president Ajit Gavhane is seeking a ticket from Bhosari assem bly constituency, the senior leader said, adding that Ajit Pawar had advised them to wait for some time before making a decision to join the Sharad Pawar faction. According to sources, Gavhane took the corporators to meet Pawar on Saturday.