Pune, 29 January 2026: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s decision to appoint Adv. Nilesh Nikam as the Leader of Opposition in the Pune Municipal Corporation turned out to be his last major political call for the city.
Ajit Pawar had camped in Pune for nearly a month and led an intense campaign for the municipal elections. Despite the party not achieving the expected results, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) emerged as the second-largest party after the BJP, earning the right to the Leader of Opposition post in the civic body.
Following the election results, a meeting of NCP corporators was held under the leadership of city president Subhash Jagtap, Sunil Tingre, and MLA Chetan Tupe. The meeting passed a resolution authorising Ajit Pawar to take the final call on the Opposition Leader’s appointment. Based on the names suggested by the party, Pawar approved Adv. Nilesh Nikam’s name on Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, Adv. Nikam repeatedly tried to contact Pawar from 7 am onwards to express his gratitude. However, Pawar’s phone was switched off. Later, Nikam was informed that Pawar was travelling by air and was asked to speak with his personal assistant.
Soon after, Sunil Tingre informed Nikam about Ajit Pawar’s sudden demise in a plane crash.
“I was trying to reach him only to thank him and express my gratitude. I was told he was travelling. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to speak to him,” Nikam said, visibly emotional.
Ajit Pawar’s decision regarding Pune’s Opposition Leader thus remains a poignant final chapter in his long political association with the city.