BJP to Contest Pune Zilla Parishad Solo; NCP Factions Unite for Maharashtra Rural Polls

Ahead of Maharashtra's Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections scheduled for February 5, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced it will contest Pune's Zilla Parishad polls independently, aiming to expand beyond urban areas. Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions led by Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, following significant losses in Pune municipal elections, have decided to contest these rural elections together. The NCP clarified that discussions focused on election strategy without addressing faction reunification.