Pune, Dec. 29 -- Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani's appearance in Baramati on Sunday, where he described Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar as his "mentor," triggered fresh political speculation amid visible warmth within the Pawar family. At the inauguration of Sharadchandra Pawar Centre for Excellence in Artificial Intelligence, Adani shared the stage with the veteran leader, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and other family members, projecting rare public unity after the NCP's 2023 split. The show of bonhomie coincided with key civic poll moves. Ajit Pawar confirmed that the two NCP factions will jointly contest the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation elections, the first such tie-up since the split. Meanwhile, uncertainty deepened in Pune, where the NCP (SP) skipped a crucial Maha Vikas Aghadi seat-sharing meeting for the Pune Municipal Corporation polls, prompting Congress leaders to signal their readiness to contest the elections independently as nomination deadlines near. P4...