Mumbai: The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) on Monday claimed that the ruling BJP-led Maha Yuti alliance would collapse before the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls.
"Because of internal rifts and contradictions, the Maha Yuti would collapse before election," NCP (SP) chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said about the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP ruling alliance.
According to him, the BJP has engineered splits within key opposition parties, including Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP. According to Tapase, these moves were calculated attempts to destabilize the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which previously held power in the state.
"The BJP has dismantled the political fabric of Maharashtra by orchestrating defections and weakening the opposition," Tapase stated.
"However, the people of Maharashtra sent a resounding message by rejecting the ruling coalition in the recent Lok Sabha elections, demonstrating their discontent with this unholy alliance" he added.
The NCP spokesperson pointed to recent incidents as evidence of the growing unrest within the Maha Yuti.
He cited allegations by Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam, who openly criticized BJP minister Ravindra Chavan as ineffective and redundant, as a sign of the deteriorating relations within the alliance. Besides, Tapase referred to an incident where BJP supporters showed black flags to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar during his Jan Samman Yatra, further fuelling speculation about deepening fissures within the government.
"There is no coordination between the constituent parties of the Maha Yuti, no mutual respect, and no genuine concern for the welfare of the people of Maharashtra," Tapase asserted. "The Maha Yuti alliance exists solely to retain power and protect its members from legal scrutiny," he said.
Tapase claimed that both Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were dissatisfied with Ajit Pawar’s attempts to hijack the "Ladki Bahin Yojana," a flagship scheme of the current administration.
Tapase questioned why opposition leaders, MLAs, and MPs were not invited to the launch of this government-funded scheme, hinting that the ruling coalition was more interested in playing politics than serving the people.
As the state gears up for the upcoming elections, Tapase confidently predicted the resurgence of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, positioning it as the true representative of the people’s will.