Overview
- State Election Commission sets polling for 29 municipal corporations on January 15 with counting on January 16.
- NCP (SP) ended talks with Ajit Pawar’s NCP for the Pune civic polls over the ‘clock’ symbol and seat demands, returned to MVA discussions, and saw former Pune mayor Prashant Jagtap join Congress.
- In Pimpri-Chinchwad, negotiations between the NCP factions remain stuck as NCP (SP) sought 23 seats, with local leaders also debating contesting on the Ajit faction’s symbol.
- Seat-sharing between the BJP and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is at a deadlock for BMC and other cities, and Pune Sena workers protested reports of only 15 PMC seats being offered to their party.
- AAP broadened its footprint by announcing first-time runs in Bhiwandi and Navi Mumbai and plans major slates in Thane, while pressing a solo campaign for all 227 BMC wards and all 165 PMC seats with national leaders as star campaigners.