Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
Credit: PTI photo
Mumbai: The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Sunday claimed that the BJP would purposefully defeat some candidates of Shiv Sena and NCP in the forthcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections to exercise control over its Maharashtra NDA allies.
NCP (SP) chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase suggested that all is not well between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the chief leader of Shiv Sena and Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis, who calls the shots for the BJP and Ajit Pawar, who is the NCP President.
Tapase also pointed out growing discontent within BJP ranks, alleging that the party is frustrated with Shinde and Pawar for taking credit for popular initiatives like the Mukhya Mantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, leaving the BJP sidelined in the public eye.
Tapase pointed out that BJP National President J P Nadda recently visited Mumbai, where he paid visits to the official residences of Shinde and Pawar for Ganesh darshan.
"Following these visits, a strategic meeting was held with BJP office bearers to discuss the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections,” he said.
According to Tapase, the BJP is planning to assert control over Shinde and Pawar by deliberately defeating some of their MLA candidates. “This is part of a broader strategy to diminish their influence,” he said.
Tapase also recalled a past remark from a BJP leader, revealing that Shinde was reluctantly given the Chief Minister's post, underscoring the tenuous nature of the alliance.
He further noted that both the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, have held Ajit Pawar accountable for the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, which has resulted in a lack of support for Ajit Pawar's NCP faction within the BJP.
“Moreover, the BJP has come to the realization that the votes of Shinde’s and Ajit Pawar’s supporters are not translating into electoral support for BJP candidates. This reveals the superficial nature of the BJP’s love for Shinde and Ajit Pawar, a truth that will soon become evident to both leaders,” he said.