Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | NCP to fight polls with allies BJP, Shiv Sena: Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday asserted that NCP would contest the upcoming assembly polls with allies BJP and Shiv Sena under the Mahayuti banner and there was no questioning of his party quitting the ruling coalition.

Speaking at the India Today Conclave here, the NCP chief also regretted the move to pit his wife Sunetra Pawar against his cousin sister and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule in Baramati in the Lok Sabha polls.

Pawar’s assertion about contesting the state polls together with his Mahayuti partners comes amid claims by the Shiv Sena (UBT) that the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena are systematically working to oust his party from the ruling alliance.

“We will fight to bring Mahayuti to power again,” said Pawar, adding that he wants to work for Maharashta’s development.

The talks on the political utility of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP keep surfacing intermittently in light of the BJP’s dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra and ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

After the BJP’s tally fell to 9 in the state in the general elections, an RSS-linked Marathi weekly had called NCP as one of the reasons behind the poor performance.

Replying to a question about the critical remarks by the publication, Ajit Pawar said he has held alliance talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP chief JP Nadda and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

“I am not bothered about who says what,” said Ajit Pawar, who rebelled against his uncle and political mentor Sharad Pawar in July 2023 to join the Mahayuti government.

The NCP president also admitted that it was wrong to have fielded his wife Sunetra against cousin Supriya Sule.

“Nobody told me to field Sunetra from Baramati. It was my own decision. Later, I realised I was wrong. Only those who work make mistakes,” he said.

This is the third time since August Ajit Pawar has publicly admitted that he had made a mistake by fielding his wife against Sule, who emerged victorious, though earlier he had called it the party’s decision.

Asked if he regretted revolting against Sharad Pawar, the deputy CM called it an old matter, stressing that there was no need to raise it again.

All NCP MLAs including those with Sharad Pawar had written to him about the need to be in the ruling Mahayuti after the collapse of the MVA government, he said. Various works needed to be expedited as they had hit a roadblock after the COVID pandemic, Ajit Pawar said.

The NCP chief said corruption allegations against him have not been proved.

In the recently held Lok Sabha polls, of the 48 seats in Maharashtra, the BJP and allies won only 17 seats, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) bagged 30. Between the NCP factions, the Ajit Pawar-led outfit won only one seat compared to 8 by the one headed by Sharad Pawar.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will likely be held in November or December.