Ajit Pawar-led NCP to contest 2024 Lok Sabha Polls as NDA ally: Sunil Tatkare

Sunil Tatkare/ File Photo

Chief of Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra, Sunil Tatkare, on Thursday, announced that his party intends to participate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in collaboration with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena, under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) banner, stated a PTI report. However, he emphasized that seat-sharing negotiations among these parties have not commenced, awaiting deliberation among their top leaders.

Tatkare revealed, "Our party will fight the Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena as National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners." While this declaration signals a political realignment in Maharashtra, the specifics of the partnership, including seat distribution, are yet to be worked out.

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According to the report, he went on to mention the unity within the NCP under Ajit Pawar's leadership, stating that most NCP legislators are aligned with him and attend the legislature party meetings regularly.

Tatkare also expressed concern over a tragic incident in Mumbai, where a 45-year-old man reportedly died by suicide in the Bandra area. The suicide was attributed to the demand for reservations for the Maratha community. Tatkare emphasized that it was an unfortunate event and underscored the NCP's commitment to ensuring reservation for the Maratha community without adversely affecting the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota.

Notably, the NCP witnessed a significant political development on July 2, when Ajit Pawar, along with eight other NCP MLAs, extended support to the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra. This move resulted in a split within the party that was founded by veteran leader Sharad Pawar in 1999. Presently, a case has been filed before the Election Commission of India where both factions have staked a claim over the party name and symbol. The split in NCP is reminiscent of the Shiv Sena split that happened in 2022 following CM Shinde's rebellion.

Looking ahead, the Lok Sabha elections are scheduled for April-May 2024, while the Maharashtra assembly polls are slated for October-November, just a few months later. As the parties within the NDA gear up for the Lok Sabha elections, the focus will be on seat-sharing agreements and campaign strategies.

With PTI inputs