Overview
- Ajit Pawar and Supriya Sule shared a stage for the first time since the 2023 split to unveil a joint manifesto for the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic elections.
- The manifesto promises free travel on PMPML buses and the Pune Metro, 24/7 tap water, fixes for 33 missing road links, neighborhood hospitals within 2 km, and a property-tax waiver for homes up to 500 sq ft.
- Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil challenged the free-transit promise as deceptive, saying such a decision requires state-level approval and pointing to PMPML’s financial losses.
- Leaders from both factions said the tie-up is limited to these civic polls and presented it as a tactical move to avoid splitting their traditional vote base.
- Municipal voting across 29 corporations is set for January 15 with counting on January 16, as the ruling Mahayuti released its separate Mumbai manifesto offering measures including a 50% BEST bus fare concession for women.