MUMBAI, Nov. 11 -- The two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have joined forces to contest the election to a municipal council in Kolhapur, signalling that unusual political alliances may be forged in the upcoming local body polls. The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and Ajit Pawar-led NCP have come together for the Chandgad Municipal Council election in Kolhapur district. This marks the first formal tie-up between the rival NCP groups since the party's split in July 2023. In Kolhapur, the two NCP parties will together take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the Mahayuti coalition, of which the NCP is a constituent, in the state. The announcement of the two NCP groups teaming up was made jointly by leaders of both camps, including NCP minister Hasan Mushrif. The development may lead to a similar pattern in other districts, especially in Western Maharashtra, ahead of the December 2 elections, insiders said. It comes five days after the NCP (SP) leadership allowed party leaders to forge alliances with any party, barring the BJP, for the upcoming elections. The decision must also be viewed against the backdrop of a tug-of-war between the NCP and BJP, allies in the ruling coalition, over seat sharing for the polls. The tussle is especially intense for local bodies in Pune district, where Ajit Pawar wants the upper hand. In Kolhapur, insiders from the NCP revealed that the trigger for the "reunion" was the experience during the assembly elections, when BJP rebel Shivaji Patil contested against NCP MLA Rajesh Patil for the Chandgad assembly constituency. He was also supported by the Shiv Sena, leading to Rajesh Patil's defeat by more than 24,000 votes. "There is no rule that we cannot team up with the NCP (SP), and this will facilitate alliances between the two NCP factions in other places, especially in Western Maharashtra," observed a senior NCP functionary. "But this will be allowed only where an alliance is absolutely necessary as the NCP is a part of the Mahayuti coalition." During the two-day meeting of the NCP (SP) women's wing, which concluded last Wednesday, the party's national working president Supriya Sule said decisions on alliances can be taken by local units. "She said local leaders can forge alliances with all other parties, except the BJP, wherever they believe such pacts would be in the party's interest," a senior NCP (SP) leader present at the two-day meeting told HT. The upcoming elections will be the first time the two NCP factions will be contesting local body polls separately, after the party split. They contested both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections against each other last year. While the NCP (SP) dominated the Lok Sabha elections, winning eight of 10 Lok Sabha seats, the NCP performed better in the assembly polls by wresting 41 of the 59 seats it contested. Newly appointed NCP spokesperson and former minister Anil Patil said such alliances become unavoidable considering local circumstances. "The NCP leadership will prefer alliances with Mahayuti partners - BJP and Shiv Sena - but if that is not possible, an alliance can be forged with other parties," said Patil. He said formal approval from the party leadership is required for any alliance, and the NCP's Kolhapur unit must have discussed the issue with the leadership before taking a decision....