India, Dec. 29 -- A day after signalling renewed engagement with its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) stayed away from a crucial alliance meeting in Pune on Sunday, deepening uncertainty over seat-sharing arrangements for the upcoming Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) elections.

The meeting, convened at the Congress Bhavan to finalise seat-sharing and election strategy, was attended only by leaders of the Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). Leaders of the NCP (SP) did not turn up, despite being informed in advance, triggering fresh speculation over the party's commitment to the alliance in the city.

According to MVA leaders, neither senior nor local NCP (SP) leade...