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Mumbai: The ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – has experienced recurring internal tensions since its very formation. The alliance that was forged more out of political necessity than ideological alignment has run into problems periodically over power-sharing, seat allocations, and local-level influence.

The three parties came together with a primary aim to keep the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), and the Congress, out of power. Despite delivering electoral success at the state level in 2024, the coalition has faced persistent challenges in maintaining smooth coordination among its three partners.

Ajit Pawar, who led the NCP faction allied with the Mahayuti and served as deputy chief minister, had seen his party significantly weakened in both the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the subsequent Maharashtra assembly polls. In the lead-up to key municipal and local body elections, Pawar slowly began making efforts to reconcile with his uncle, Sharad Pawar, exploring possibilities of reuniting the split NCP factions. Senior NCP leaders later revealed that Ajit Pawar had actively pushed for a merger, viewing it potentially as a “gift” to Sharad Pawar.

Discussions between the two factions had reportedly advanced, with some accounts suggesting a formal announcement was under consideration. These reconciliation moves reflected Ajit Pawar’s strategic calculations amid the post-poll realities faced by his faction.

Those unification efforts, however, came to an abrupt halt when Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on January 28, 2026. The chartered Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR Ventures, crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. Baramati is also Pawar’s home constituency. He was enroute to campaign for upcoming Zilla Parishad elections. The crash killed all five people on board.

Just days after the crash, his wife, Sunetra Pawar, was swiftly sworn in as Maharashtra’s first woman deputy chief minister. The reconciliation talks with Sharad Pawar came to an halt.

NCP under Sunetra Pawar performed well in the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections held in phases around February 2026. It helped the overall Mahayuti alliance to secured a strong position. The BJP emerged as the single largest party with 225 seats in the first phase across 12 Zilla Parishads, followed by the NCP (now under Sunetra) with 165 seats and Shinde’s Shiv Sena with 162 seats. The alliance collectively dominated most districts.

However, post-election leadership contests for Zilla Parishad president and vice-president positions exposed rifts. In several districts, including Parbhani, the BJP and NCP (Sunetra Pawar-led) allied to elect their candidates, sidelining Shinde’s Shiv Sena despite prior power-sharing understandings. Similar tensions surfaced in areas like Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Sangli, and Satara, where disputes over tenure-sharing and posts led to breakdowns in coordination. Shiv Sena leaders accused the BJP of attempting to marginalise them at the local level.

In Satara, despite the Shiv Sena and NCP alliance holding a majority, the district police had allegedly used force to prevent two alliance members from voting. This resulted in the BJP winning the Zilla Parishad presidential election by an exact margin of two votes. Shinde called it “murder of democracy,” saying it should never have happened.

In the police violence, Shiv Sena’s minister Shambhuraj Desai had also suffered injuries. The tension between the parties have since persisted and both the Sena and NCP have demanded that the superintendent of police Tushar Doshi be suspended. Finally, giving into the pressure, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the state home portfolio, has sent Doshi on compulsory leave pending inquiry.

Earlier this month, Shinde visited Delhi to meet central BJP leadership. Such trips by Shinde have occurred periodically amid reported frictions, though he has previously described them as “routine” and dismissed opposition criticism as “unnecessary concern”.

Another point of strain came in after Ashok Kharat, a Nashik-based self-styled godman, was arrested earlier this month on multiple charges, including rape and molestation. At least eight FIRs have been registered against Kharat. According to media reports the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sexual assault case has found that Kharat has allegedly exploited more than 150 women.

Kharat, previously known for astrological claims and running a temple trust, had associations with politicians across parties. Photographs and reports showed links to figures in the Mahayuti, including visits by Shinde and interactions involving NCP leaders. Rupali Chakankar, an NCP leader and former chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (who was also a trustee in Kharat’s trust), faced scrutiny, and had to eventually resign from her positions. She was also summoned by the SIT.

© The Wire