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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........

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