Maharashtra: Sharad Pawar's poll predictions proved wrong in 2014 and 2019, says CM Shinde

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On Wednesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's predictions on the 2014 and 2019 poll results had proved wrong and the next elections will not be an exception.

After the recent Karnataka Assembly election results, in which the Congress defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party and returned to power, the NCP chief Pawar had said the poll results were an indication of the scenario after next year's Lok Sabha elections.

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Sharad Pawar on Wednesday claimed that there is currently an "anti-BJP" wave and people of the country want a change considering the results of the Karnataka Assembly polls.

Speaking at a press meet in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district, Sharad Pawar said that if this mindset of people continues, India will witness a change in the forthcoming elections. The Lok Sabha elections and the Maharashtra Assembly polls are due in 2024.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis visited the site of the new airport coming up in Navi Mumbai and took stock of the ongoing work. Reacting to Sharad Pawar's criticism of the BJP, CM Ekanth Shinde said, "All his (poll) predictions have gone wrong and this has been seen in 2014 and 2019. Henceforth as well, all his predictions will prove wrong."

"When more than 300 MPs were getting elected (from the ruling party), how could anyone say that PM Modi's popularity was decreasing?, asked Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

Meanwhile, talking about the Navi Mumbai airport, CM Shinde said the contractor planned to make the new facility functional in December 2024, but efforts were on to get the work completed before that and start the facility by May 2024.

"The airport will cater to around nine crore passengers every year and the state government will provide all possible assistance to speed up work on the project. The airport will cater to the needs of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) region, besides Pune and Goa," he said.