Maharashtra NCP President Jayant Patil on Saturday said the 2024 Assembly polls in the state will be all about the BJP versus the MVA and that there will be a question mark on the existence of the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena.
Talking to reporters here, Patil said he feels the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will contest all the 288 Assembly seats on its symbol as he expressed confidence that the Shinde group will “cease” the exist. “I don’t think the Shinde group will remain intact when the fight would be between the BJP and the MVA,” said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader.
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The MVA government, formed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led group, the NCP and Congress, collapsed last year after Shinde walked out of the undivided Shiv Sena. He then joined hands with the BJP to return as the chief minister. His group was recently allotted the name 'Shiv Sena' and its 'bow-and-arrow' symbol by the Election Commission. Patil alleged that the BJP doesn’t want to recognise the existence of local political outfits and allow their growth.
“The BJP has worked to destroy smaller parties – allies or rivals. The BJP’s single-point agenda is to destabilise smaller parties so that it can grab their vote share,” said the NCP leader. If the Shinde group manages to exist till then, BJP will at the last minute allow them to contest 48 seats and tell them only five to six of their nominees can win, said Patil.
When asked about the CM’s statement in the Assembly on the demands of farmers participating in the long march, Patil said the government has increased the money for onion procurement to Rs 350 per quintal despite the demand being Rs 500 to Rs 600. A committee has been set up to decide claims of forest land rights. This is nothing but delaying tactics, he said. There was no word on the demand for availability of 12-hour uninterrupted electricity supply for farmers, Patil said, adding that the chief minister ignored the issue of 100 per cent grant to aided schools and implementation of the Old Pension Scheme.