Congress, NCP (Sharad Pawar) Candidates Stress Alliance Unity to Counter BJP in Pune Civic Polls
Pune, 19th December 2025: A strong sentiment in favour of contesting the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation elections under the banner of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) emerged during candidate interviews conducted by the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction).
Both parties witnessed a heavy turnout of aspirants, many of whom pressed for party tickets while emphasising that unity within the MVA would be crucial for electoral success. Aspirants from both camps expressed the view that a united fight would offer a clear political advantage and help effectively counter the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The Congress concluded its two-day interview process, while the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar faction) completed its interviews, organised assembly constituency-wise, in a single day. Party leaders said candidates would be finalised only after alliance-level discussions and seat-sharing arrangements within the MVA are concluded.
Given the large number of aspirants and the likelihood of contesting as part of the alliance, the NCP (SP) conducted interviews throughout Thursday. City president Prashant Jagtap said that around 242 aspirants were interviewed from 11 am onwards, with the process conducted constituency-wise.
During the interviews, aspirants were questioned on ward-level political dynamics, the organisational strength of the MVA, and potential panel combinations. Several aspirants pointed out that, as seen in the Lok Sabha elections, all three MVA partners should contest the civic polls together to check the BJP. While some wards saw only two or three aspirants, others had more than ten candidates vying for tickets. The interviews continued late into the night.
The Congress also completed its interviews on Thursday. Aspirants from wards 1 to 20 were interviewed on Wednesday, followed by wards 21 to 41 on Thursday. Large crowds gathered outside Congress Bhavan on both days, including several former corporators.
Echoing similar views, Congress aspirants said contesting as part of the alliance would be advantageous. They called for fair seat-sharing, justice for loyal party workers, and adequate representation for the party. City Congress president Arvind Shinde said the interview report would be forwarded to the state-level selection committee for further action.
