Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Monday reacted to the alliance of the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions for the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) polls. He said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, whose party is part of the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, will have to answer to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Raut said, "The issue is limited to Pimpri-Chinchwad. In Pune, their alliance is not happening, as far as I know. Ajit Pawar will have to answer to the BJP, to their leader Amit Shah. Yes, if the BJP is fighting against Sharad Pawar and you are forming an alliance with them, then Ajit Pawar will have to answer to Amit Shah."
Ajit Pawar on Sunday announced an alliance between his NCP and the NCP-SP for the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls, saying the "parivar" (family) has come together.
"For the sake of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, the 'clock' and the 'tutari' (trumpet) have united. The parivar has come together," he said.
Pawar urged party workers to work hard and refrain from making any controversial comments during rallies.
"We are the ones who work for development. We will edge out those who tried to put this municipal corporation in debt," he said.
Meanwhile, the two parties have also joined hands for the Pune civic polls.
"After NCP-SP city chief Prashant Jagtap's exit from the party, several workers came to working president Supriya Sule, saying both factions have to come together. The decision about the alliance has been taken considering the sentiments of local party workers," Rohit Pawar said.
"(Sharad) Pawar saheb was not involved in this decision. However, he believes that party workers are important and their views matter for the civic polls," he added.
