PUNE, Jan. 7 -- A remark by Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Tuesday that the BJP expects its allies to respect Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar has triggered a fresh flashpoint within the ruling Mahayuti alliance, drawing a sharp response from the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which reiterated its commitment to Ambedkarite ideology. Reacting to the controversy, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis sought to defuse tensions, saying that deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had never opposed Savarkar's ideology. "To my knowledge, Ajit Pawar has never opposed Savarkar's thinking, nor is there any reason for him to do so. We are committed to our ideology and will not compromise on it," Fadnavis said, adding that the BJP does not accept people or parties that oppose Savarkar. Ajit Pawar, on his part, also chose to avoid escalating the issue barely 10 days ahead of the January 15 municipal corporation elections. "I will only speak about issues related to municipal corporations. For any other questions, my response is 'no comments'. I will take those questions after the civic polls," he said. The controversy has brought Savarkar into the high-pitched campaign for the civic elections, adding strain to relations between the BJP and the NCP, both key allies in the Mahayuti. Ajit Pawar has aligned with the NCP Sharadchandra Pawar faction (NCP-SP) for the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic polls and has been aggressively targeting the BJP's local leadership over civic governance. Clarifying the BJP's position, Shelar said the party's state president, Ravindra Chavan, had made it clear that the BJP follows Savarkar's ideology and expects its allies to respect those views. "If you come with us, we will work together. If you don't, we will still continue our work. And if you oppose us, we will oppose you too, but our work will go on," Shelar said. The remarks drew a sharp response from NCP leader Amol Mitkari, who questioned what he described as the BJP's insistence that Ajit Pawar and his party function under the BJP's ideological leadership. "We were, are, and will remain committed to the Shiv-Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar movement," Mitkari said in a post on X. "Even if we do not accept the ideology you expect, it is an undeniable truth that you will have to accept our party's Ambedkarite ideology, even if unwillingly." The exchange is the latest in a series of acrimonious confrontations between the two allies in the run-up to elections in 29 municipal corporations across the state. Ajit Pawar has publicly criticised BJP leaders over seat-sharing, candidate selection and what he calls the party's dominance at the local level, particularly in key urban bodies such as Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. Last week, Pawar stirred controversy by backing the nomination of candidates with criminal backgrounds for civic polls, arguing that no one is a criminal until proven guilty and citing allegations he himself had faced in the Rs.70,000-crore irrigation scam case. He has also accused the BJP of fostering corruption in the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), which it controlled from 2017 to 2022. Responding to Pawar's sustained attacks, BJP leader Ravindra Chavan claimed he had cautioned CM Fadnavis before allowing Ajit Pawar to join the alliance and share power....