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Rift in Mahayuti as NCP aligns with Congress in Latur District Bank polls
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News18•17-10-2026, 14:49
Rift in Mahayuti as NCP aligns with Congress in Latur District Bank polls
- •A major political discord has surfaced within the ruling Mahayuti alliance over the upcoming elections for the Latur District Central Cooperative Bank.
- •The BJP is furious as Ajit Pawar's NCP has decided to directly side with Congress, challenging Congress's 40-year control over the bank.
- •Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil defended the move by stating that cooperative sector elections are not fought strictly on party lines.
- •Babasaheb Patil and former Congress MLA Dheeraj Deshmukh arrived in the same car during the filing of nomination forms, fueling further tensions with the BJP.
- •While NCP State President Sunil Tatkare earlier stated the elections would be contested under the Mahayuti banner, local political equations have created a contradiction.
Key Questions Answered
Tensions arose because Ajit Pawar's NCP, a partner in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, decided to directly align and side with the opposition Congress for the Latur District Central Cooperative Bank elections, angering the BJP.
Voting for the 19 seats of the Latur District Central Cooperative Bank will take place on November 15, with 999 voters exercising their franchise.
Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil stated that cooperative sector elections are not fought on party lines, noting that they have previously contested bank elections in alliance with Congress while assuring that they remain together as the Mahayuti wherever elections are strictly fought on party lines.
