The Shrinking Of The Pawars: NCP Suffers Unprecedented Civic Poll Defeat Across Maharashtra-But WHY?

The outcome of the 2026 Maharashtra municipal corporation elections has delivered a clear political setback to the Pawar family.

For the first time in several decades, neither wing of the Nationalist Congress Party-the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) nor the Ajit Pawar-led NCP-has succeeded in winning control of even a single major municipal corporation. This represents the poorest civic showing for the party since its formation by Sharad Pawar in 1999.

Out of the 29 municipal corporations that went to polls on Thursday, the NCP (SP) failed to win any seats in 14 corporations. The spotlight was firmly on Pune district, traditionally seen as the Pawar family's stronghold, where uncle and nephew joined forces against the BJP. However, the rare show of unity did not translate into electoral success.

The defeats in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad carried strong symbolic weight. Both cities, long regarded as NCP bastions, have once again voted decisively in favour of the BJP, allowing the party to retain control for a second straight term.

The elections also stood out for an unusual political development, with Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar campaigning together for the first time since the party split in 2023, following Ajit Pawar's entry into the BJP-led government. Their combined loss has further underlined the BJP's growing dominance over Maharashtra's urban voter base.

Elsewhere in the state, results were equally disappointing for both NCP factions. Ajit Pawar's faction, despite being part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, failed to make notable gains in key civic bodies and was repeatedly defeated by its senior ally, the BJP.

In the wake of the heavy losses, political analysts suggest that Sharad Pawar may be under pressure to consider a formal reconciliation with his nephew in an effort to halt the party's decline. Senior leaders within the NCP (SP) acknowledge privately that the organisation has been weakened by continuous defections of leaders and grassroots workers to rival parties.

After the disappointing civic performance, the immediate task before the NCP (SP) will be to stop further erosion of its cadre, particularly at a time when Maharashtra is seeing a steady drift of party workers towards ruling alliances.