Ajit Pawar-led NCP seeks larger share in upcoming Maharashtra elections; tensions rise among allies
(From left) DCM Devendra Fadnavis, CM Eknath Shinde and DCM Ajit Pawar. File Pic/Satej Shinde
Even before the dust settles on the Lok Sabha polling in Maharashtra, the BJP’s latest ally, the NCP (Ajit Pawar) has demanded more seats to contest in the forthcoming Assembly election. The Ajit Pawar-led group, officially recognised as the original party after breaking up with the Sharad Pawar-led faction, contested only four seats in the Lok Sabha elections, eleven less than the BJP’s other ally, Shiv Sena (Shinde).
The party’s senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal made a demand to this effect on Monday at the NCP’s review meeting that also discussed a way forward. “There shouldn’t be any hassle like the Lok Sabha seat-sharing. We have joined the Mahayuti as we have been promised 80-90 seats (of 288 Assembly seats). We must get a respectable share,” demanded Bhujbal, asking Ajit to tell the BJP leadership about it immediately. “We will have to tell them (BJP and Shinde Sena) about the numbers we want. We will win 50-60 seats only if we get 80-90 seats. They may tell us to take 50 because we have 50 MLAs. But this should not happen,” he said.
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When asked, DCM Devendra Fadnavis said the three allies will together discuss and share seats. “But the BJP is the largest party. So it will get the maximum seats,” he said, adding that the BJP will protect the honour of its allies. DCM Ajit Pawar also addressed the meeting. He said that his uncle’s remark that he did not make his nephew the CM because of inexperience. The NCP had more seats than the ally Congress in the 2004 Assembly poll. Pawar had said recently that he also did not make Bhujbal the CM because it would have split the party.
Ajit said the uncle did not promote Bhujbal fearing that he would not listen to him, the way Sudhakarrao Naik had done in the past. “We were not new in 2004. I was not interested in the CM’s post then. Whatever Pawar saheb has said is a complete lie,” he added.
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