Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), clarified today that the INDIA alliance was formed specifically for national elections, dismissing speculation about its involvement in state and local body polls. His statement mirrored recent remarks by Sanjay Raut, a senior leader from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), who emphasized that both the INDIA bloc and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliances—comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction)—are focused on Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

Addressing reporters, Pawar said, "There has been no discussion within the INDIA alliance regarding state and local body elections," but he added that decisions on local elections would be taken collectively in the coming days.

Earlier in the day, Sanjay Raut acknowledged the difficulty of forming alliances for local body polls but expressed confidence in the INDIA bloc’s unity for national and assembly elections. Raut also urged Congress, as the largest partner in the alliance, to ensure cohesion among the opposition parties.

"In Delhi, both the Congress and AAP consider themselves dominant forces. In Maharashtra, we have reiterated that local body elections are largely driven by party workers. While alliances may not always be feasible at the local level, the INDIA bloc will remain intact for Lok Sabha and assembly elections," Raut said.

Raut also defended the idea of contesting against allies in some instances, citing the example of the Delhi assembly elections, where the Congress and AAP have historically competed against each other.

When asked about the AAP-Congress rivalry in Delhi, Sharad Pawar noted that the INDIA bloc’s focus is national. "Delhi is Kejriwal’s stronghold. The people of Delhi have twice given AAP a clear majority. It would have been beneficial if a consensus had been reached," he said.

The lack of coordination between AAP and Congress in Delhi comes despite their alliance in the Lok Sabha elections, which resulted in a disappointing outcome, with the BJP sweeping all seven seats.

Adding to the conversation, Supriya Sule, NCP (SP) working president and Pawar’s daughter, highlighted that local elections have traditionally been fought independently. "Local body elections are for party workers. If we decide everything based on alliances, what role will the cadre have? Their only task will be to carry the mattresses of leaders," she remarked.

Congress, on its part, has stated that its central leadership will determine whether to contest the upcoming local body elections solo or in alliance.

Meanwhile, speculation about a softening stance towards the BJP by Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) has been denied by Pawar. "Not a single MP from my party is willing to align with the BJP," he asserted. His statement coincided with an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT)'s publication Saamana, which criticized Union Minister Amit Shah’s recent comments about Uddhav Thackeray as "arrogant."

Shah, at a recent rally, had accused Thackeray of engaging in "betrayal politics" and claimed the people of Maharashtra had punished him for it.

In the last assembly elections, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena and the breakaway NCP faction, secured a commanding 230 seats out of 288. In contrast, the MVA managed only 46 seats, with Sena (UBT) contributing 20, Congress 16, and NCP (SP) 10.