BJP–Sharad Pawar NCP Tie-Up Ends Akola Civic Deadlock, Seals Power After 10 Days

Nagpur: A rare post-election alignment between BJP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP brought an abrupt end to political uncertainty in the Akola Municipal Corporation on Monday, with the BJP-led front formally securing a working majority after nearly ten days of negotiations. Last time, both parties came together was in 2014, when senior Pawar led undivided NCP had offered outside support to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for forming the govt in Maharashtra, as Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena was exploring other options that time.In Akola, BJP consolidated power after the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP extended formal support, enabling the formation of a 44-member alliance—well above the halfway mark of 41 in the 80-member civic body. The alliance, named the Shahar Sudhar Aghadi (City Improvement Front), has now been officially recognised by the Divisional Commissioner following verification of supporting corporators in Amravati, effectively restoring BJP control over the corporation.Political observers described the development as significant, noting the uncommon convergence between the BJP and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP at the municipal level in Akola. BJP MLA and Assembly chief whip Randhir Sawarkar was widely credited as the key strategist behind the numbers, steering negotiations at a critical juncture to assemble the majority.The Akola Municipal Corporation elections had produced a fractured verdict, with the BJP emerging as the single largest party with 38 seats, followed by the Congress with 21. No party commanded a clear majority, triggering intense post-poll manoeuvring. An initial attempt by the Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and the AIMIM to forge an alternative front to keep the BJP out of power ultimately failed.The balance tilted decisively after three corporators from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, one from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, one from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and one Independent corporator joined hands with the BJP, taking the alliance's strength to 44. The BJP now anchors the ruling front with its original 38 corporators, while the Congress-led opposition bloc stands reduced to a combined strength of 36.Despite the clear arithmetic, the contest over the mayor's post remains politically charged. Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) MLA Nitin Deshmukh argued that the outcome of the mayoral election, scheduled for January 30, could still defy expectations. Citing provisions of the Municipal Corporation Act of 1949, Deshmukh said corporators who are members of the city improvement committee are not bound by party whips during the mayoral vote. "The Act does not impose mandatory restrictions on such corporators," he said, adding that the numbers seen during alliance formation may not necessarily be replicated in the mayoral election.The mayor's post is reserved for an OBC woman. The BJP has nominated Sharda Khedkar, while the opposition has fielded Surekha Kale from the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. For the deputy mayor's post, the BJP has named Amol Goge, with the opposition nominating Azad Khan. Speculation continues over whether BJP rebel corporator Ashish Pavitrakar could withdraw or influence the final outcome.While the BJP's tie-up with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has decisively ended the immediate power tussle in the Akola Municipal Corporation, political attention is now firmly fixed on the mayoral election, which could yet test the durability of this newly forged and closely scrutinised alliance.