Speculation is rife that Ajit Gavhane, who unsuccessfully contested the recently concluded 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections from Bhosari constituency on an NCP-SP ticket, may return to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's camp ahead of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) polls. Rumours also suggest that Gavhane contacted Pawar to express his desire to return, along with his supporters, and is willing to take on any position or task the party leadership assigned him.
However, when asked by The Free Press Journal, Gavhane said that there was no truth to these rumours. "Former Bhosari MLA Vilas Lande has expressed that I should return to Ajit Pawar's NCP as it would benefit the party in the upcoming civic body polls. However, I haven't taken any such decision yet. I am with Sharad Pawar's NCP. I am hearing such news from the media only," said Gavhane.
Gavhane was NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief when he quit the party and joined Sharad Pawar's faction in July last year. He was accompanied by two former PCMC mayors and 20 former corporators. The NCP-SP then gave Gavhane a ticket to contest the Assembly polls from Bhosari against BJP's incumbent MLA Mahesh Landge. However, Gavhane lost by a margin of 63,765 votes.
Meanwhile, there are also speculations that Sanjog Waghere, who contested the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the Maval constituency on a Shiv Sena (UBT) ticket, wants to return to NCP, along with his followers. Waghere is a former PCMC mayor and also held the position of NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad chief. Waghere lost to Shiv Sena candidate Shrirang Barne by 96,615 votes.
