Four local leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar resigned on Wednesday and returned to the group led by Sharad Pawar, ANI reported.

Ajit Gavhane, the chief of the Ajit Pawar faction’s Pimpri-Chinchwad unit, was among leaders who switched sides. Yash Sane, the students’ wing chief in Pimpri-Chinchwad, and former corporators Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar also joined the Sharad Pawar-led group, NDTV reported.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad area near Pune is considered a stronghold of the Nationalist Congress Party.

This came more than a month after the Ajit Pawar’s faction, which is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, received a drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections. Ajit Pawar’s faction won only one out of the five parliamentary seats it contested in Maharashtra.

On the other hand, the Sharad Pawar faction, which is part of the Opposition INDIA bloc, won eight of the 10 seats it contested.

This also came ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

In July 2023, Ajit Pawar, along with several party legislators, joined Maharashtra’s Mahayuti coalition government comprising the BJP and the Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Ajit Pawar subsequently became the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra.

This move resulted in a split within the Nationalist Congress Party, with one faction supporting Sharad Pawar and the other backing Ajit Pawar.

Last month, Sharad Pawar had stated that while he would welcome back leaders who strengthen his party, there would be no place for those who wish to weaken it.