Political tensions within Maharashtra's ruling Mahayuti coalition have erupted into the open after Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar launched a scathing public attack on his ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The controversy, centered on allegations of corruption and electoral intimidation, has pushed the already uneasy alliance to the brink of a public breakdown.
A Calculated Strike: Pawar's "Demon of Corruption" Remark
The drama unfolded last Friday, January 2, 2026, amid the charged atmosphere of local body elections in the state. Ajit Pawar, who leads the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction within the government, took direct aim at the BJP's previous tenure governing the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation from 2017 to 2022. Pawar, whose party has entered into a local pact with the rival NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) for these polls, stated the alliance's aim was to "slay the demon of corruption."
He accused his allies of being "power hungry" and presiding over an era of "open loot." Contrasting this with the development under his uncle Sharad Pawar and his own leadership from 1991, Pawar asserted, "But we never got power hungry." His comments gained further traction against the backdrop of widespread uncontested wins for the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Pawar drew a sharp distinction, claiming that while unopposed elections happened during his party's time as per democratic norms, the current scenario was different. "But today, there is so much terror in some areas that candidates are afraid to file their nominations," he alleged. This referred directly to the fact that BJP and Shiv Sena allies had been elected unopposed in 68 out of 69 no-contest seats across various municipal corporations, prompting the State Election Commission to withhold results and seek reports from local officials.
Allies Retaliate: Regret, Warnings, and Calls for Restraint
The BJP's response to Pawar's broadside was swift and severe. State BJP president Ravindra Chavan issued a veiled but potent warning, telling Pawar to "look into your own backyard." He ominously added, "If we open our mouths, he knows where it will lead." Chavan went a step further, expressing regret over the alliance with Ajit Pawar's NCP, revealing he had warned his party's leadership against it.
Other BJP ministers joined the fray. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule advised his cabinet colleague to be "careful while speaking in public." On Sunday, January 4, Bawankule reiterated that leaders of the Mahayuti had collectively agreed not to criticize each other during the campaign. "Despite this, Ajit Pawar broke the agreement. He should observe restraint in the future," he stated in Jalna.
The Realpolitik Behind the Rift
The public spat exposes the deep-seated political calculations at play. For Ajit Pawar, the alliance with the NCP(SP) in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad is a tactical move to keep the BJP, a larger ally with expansionist ambitions, out of his party's traditional strongholds. The BJP, with 137 MLAs in the 288-member Assembly, no longer critically depends on allies to maintain a majority, allowing it to aggressively pursue grassroots expansion. This threatens the political relevance and bargaining power of smaller allies like the NCP.
Pawar's choice of corruption as the attack vector is particularly audacious, given the long-standing allegations against him, including the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam. Sensing the BJP's potential vulnerability on this point, Pawar himself referenced the allegations, questioning why he was now sitting alongside those who had once accused him if the charges were proven.
For the BJP, which has built its national and state campaigns around a platform of transparency and clean governance, such direct accusations from a ruling partner are damaging. However, counter-attacking Pawar on corruption is tricky, as the BJP willingly brought him into the alliance despite the cloud of these allegations, opening itself to charges of political opportunism.
The episode marks a significant departure from the previously stable relationship between Pawar and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and underscores the fragile, interest-based nature of the Mahayuti coalition. With the state election commission probing the uncontested wins and alliance partners trading bitter accusations, the political fallout from this "friendly fire" is likely to reshape Maharashtra's political landscape in the days to come.
