Maharashtra Assembly election 2024: Rebel candidates exist in every party, trying to persuade them, says Fadnavis

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Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday, October 30, said every party has rebel candidates and that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to convince most of the rebels to withdraw their nominations for the Maharashtra Assembly election, news agency ANI reported.

Rebel candidates are individuals who contest elections against the official nominees of their party.

Speaking to reporters, Fadnavis said, "Rebel candidates exist in every party, and we are trying to help most of the rebels understand and withdraw their nominations. However, in some places, it will be a friendly fight."

According to ANI, he also said that it is not fit to comment on the allegations made by his cabinet colleague Ajit Pawar against the late RR Patil.

Fadnavis' comments came a day after Pawar claimed that former Patil, who was the former Home Minister of the state, "betrayed" him by ordering an open inquiry into the alleged Rs 70,000-crore irrigation scam, reported ANI.

"RR Patil is no more with us, so I don't think it's fit to comment something on him or say something about him that he cannot respond to. But one thing I would say is that it's a fact that whichever cases were registered against Ajit Dada, were done in the tenure of Congress and the NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) government, before 2014," said Fadnavis.

Addressing a gathering in Sangli on Tuesday, Pawar said, "Allegations were made that a scam of Rs 70,000 crore occurred in the irrigation department. From the day Maharashtra was established on May 1, until the date of the allegations, the total expenditure of the irrigation department was only Rs 42000 crore, which included salaries and all other expenses. I was perplexed by how a scam of Rs 70,000 crore could arise from a department that had a total expenditure of just Rs 42,000 crore."

"Subsequently, a file was prepared which was sent to the home department and this person [RR Patil] had signed that file saying to make an open inquiry [against Ajit Pawar]... This is nothing but backstabbing and betrayal," Pawar said.

Pawar is contesting the Maharashtra Assembly election 2024 from his bastion Baramati but is being challenged by hiis own nephew Yugendra.

The Maharashtra Assembly election 2024 is scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23.

In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.

(With ANI inputs)