Ajit Pawar vs BJP: Inside the growing cracks in Maharashtra’s Mahayuti alliance

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar publicly accused his Mahayuti ally, the BJP, of corruption and power politics during ongoing Maharashtra municipal elections.

Why it matters now: The sharp remarks come just as parties battle for control of key civic bodies, exposing serious fault lines within the ruling alliance.

What changes for people: Local governance, civic spending and development priorities could be reshaped if alliances shift or harden after the polls.

Who is affected: Urban voters, especially in Pimpri-Chinchwad and Pune region, and parties contesting upcoming municipal corporations across Maharashtra.

Ajit Pawar’s unusually blunt attack on the BJP has triggered a political storm within Maharashtra’s Mahayuti government, underlining how fragile the alliance has become ahead of crucial local elections. What was once an arrangement driven by electoral arithmetic is now showing visible strain on the campaign trail.

Ajit Pawar’s remarks that sparked the row

Addressing party workers during civic election campaigning last week, Ajit Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction in government, said his political fight was to “slay the demon of corruption” in urban local bodies. Without naming leaders, he accused those who ran the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation between 2017 and 2022 of being “power hungry” and allowing open loot.

Pawar contrasted this with earlier periods when the civic body was led by the NCP under Sharad Pawar and later under his own leadership, claiming development took place without corruption or intimidation. His statements were widely seen as a direct attack on the BJP, which controlled the corporation during that period.

BJP hits back, alliance unease surfaces

The reaction from the BJP was swift and sharp. Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule publicly said the party “regrets the alliance”, signalling rare open dissatisfaction within the ruling coalition.

Senior BJP leaders privately acknowledged that Pawar’s comments crossed an unwritten line, especially when the Mahayuti is trying to project stability at the state level. However, no formal disciplinary action has been announced so far.

Why Ajit Pawar is raising the temperature

Political observers say Pawar’s remarks are calculated rather than impulsive. With municipal corporations, councils and nagar panchayats going to polls, parties are competing for the same urban voter base.

According to analysts, Pawar is attempting to:

Reassert NCP’s identity after splitting from Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP).

Protect his party’s traditional influence in western Maharashtra.

Signal that alliance at the state level does not mean surrendering turf in civic politics.

A senior political analyst based in Mumbai said Pawar is “drawing clear red lines” before seat-sharing negotiations in future elections.