Pune: The Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has intensified its focus on Western Maharashtra as it gears up for the upcoming state assembly elections.

In a bid to consolidate its numbers, the Pawar camp is making strategic moves to weaken the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this politically crucial region.

Over the last two days, Sharad Pawar’s residence in Baramati, Govind Baug, witnessed a flurry of activity, with several prominent leaders, party workers, and supporters from Western Maharashtra visiting the senior leader.

This development signals Pawar’s plans to repeat the success he achieved in the Lok Sabha elections, where under his leadership, the NCP and its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners dealt a blow to the BJP in the region, which is known for its dominance in cooperative and sugar sectors.

Currently on a three-day tour of Baramati, Pawar has held extensive discussions with several political figures. Notably, the region holds significance as it delivered major victories for the NCP in the parliamentary elections.

With the state assembly elections on the horizon, Pawar’s goal is to secure as many seats as possible in the Western Maharashtra belt, a traditional stronghold for his party.

Adding to the momentum, former BJP leaders are now gravitating toward the NCP. In a high-profile defection, Kolhapur Rural BJP leader Samarjit Singh Ghatge recently joined the NCP in Pawar’s presence. There is also ongoing speculation about Harshvardhan Patil, a former MLA from Indapur and a senior BJP leader, making the switch to Pawar’s camp.

This strategic alignment appears to be reshaping the political landscape in Western Maharashtra. On Tuesday, a delegation of political aspirants from the Mangalevda and Pandharpur constituencies in Solapur district, led by MP Dhairyasheel Mohite Patil, met with Pawar to explore their future prospects. This was followed by leaders from the Man-Khatav constituency in Satara district, as well as discussions between Pawar and supporters of Anil Desai.

In addition to these discussions, Pawar’s long-time supporter Appasaheb Jagdale has reportedly sought his advice regarding his potential candidacy from Indapur.

These meetings have triggered widespread speculation about a shift in Western Maharashtra’s political alignments, with several leaders from the region expected to join the NCP in the coming weeks.