Overview

• Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction split Pune into East and West zones with Sunil Tingre and Subhash Jagtap appointed as city presidents for the respective regions
• The leadership reshuffle followed Deepak Mankar’s resignation as Pune city chief after he was booked in a police forgery case
• Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar held multiple meetings recently, fueling speculation of a merger between their rival NCP factions
• NCP-SP leader Anil Deshmukh denied any talks of reunification, saying the Pawar meetings focused on sugar and educational institute issues
• A Supreme Court order to hold local body elections within four months has accelerated preparations, while the BJP aims to capture over 75 percent of Pune Municipal Corporation seats