Pune’s civic poll equations remain wide open after NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule firmly clarified that there is no formal alliance proposal between her party and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, despite claims of an “in-principle understanding” made by senior leader Ankush Kakade.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday, Sule said bluntly, “Neither have they sent us a proposal, nor have we sent them one.” Her statement came hours after Kakade suggested that leaders from both NCP factions had met in Pune and broadly agreed to explore a joint contest for the upcoming municipal elections.
According to Kakade, three representatives from each side participated in the discussion, where the idea of fighting the Pune civic polls together was floated. He added that consultations with party colleagues and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies were still pending, stressing that the larger objective was to keep the BJP out of power in Pune.
However, Sule played down the development, saying that alliance decisions cannot be driven by informal talks or media statements. She underlined that the MVA has already held detailed discussions internally and that any expansion of the alliance would require consensus among all partners, including the Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).
Addressing speculation around internal dissent, Sule dismissed reports of Pune city chief Prashant Jagtap resigning over the possible alliance, stating that neither she nor state president Shashikant Shinde had received any such communication.
Interestingly, Sule also reacted to reports of conversations between Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Congress leader Satej Patil, remarking that “it does indicate something is happening,” while maintaining that no official outreach had been made to her party.
Looking ahead, Sule hinted at a broader opposition unity, expressing hope that Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and even both Thackeray brothers could come together for the civic polls. She described a joint fight by Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray as a symbolic moment that would honour the legacy of Bal Thackeray.
