Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has denied reports of a “friendly fight” proposal for seats where there is a dispute among allies, saying his party will instead strengthen its alliance with the NCP and Shiv Sena ahead of state elections.
The elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly are expected to be held in November or December 2024.
On Tuesday, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar rebuffed rumours claiming the BJP had suggested a “friendly fight” in 25 state assembly seats, stating that the alliance partners will not engage in internal competition ahead of November’s elections to the 288-member legislature.
“These reports are baseless. The BJP will throw more weight behind the candidates of NCP and Shiv Sena,” Bawankule said, while replying to a report claiming the BJP proposed a friendly contest in 25 constituencies where there is a tussle among ruling alliance partners.
When asked about the accident involving his son’s Audi car in Nagpur, Bawankule said the matter is under investigation. “Let there be an investigation in the case. Be it my son or anybody’s son, whatever rules are there, they should be applied. It is a matter for the police to investigate, I am thankful to God that no one was injured,” he said.
Pawar clarified that the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP will jointly decide on ticket distribution, “I don’t know about the news report you are referring to. I did meet Amit bhai (Union minister Amit Shah) as he was in Mumbai on Monday. I spoke to him about the price issues of soybean, cotton, and the ban on onion export. The news report is incorrect,” he asserted.
He rejected the notion that friendly contests could occur in certain seats if the three parties failed to agree on a consensus, calling it mere speculation. He revealed that discussions had been held on most seats, with some still pending, and assured that a final decision would be announced in due time.
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In response to a social media post by NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar, which cited a survey predicting 65 to 70 seats for the BJP, 17 to 22 for the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and only 7 to 11 for the NCP in the assembly elections, it was remarked by BJP leader Bawankule that some people find amusement in such surveys.
Bawankule further claimed that it is a fact the PM Modi-led government would remain in power at the Centre for five years. He said the people of the state are aware that if the Mahayuti government returns to power, both Centre and state schemes will continue.
“It is a fact that the government led by Modi ji will be in the Centre for five years, and the people of the state know that if the Mahayuti government comes back to power, the schemes of the Centre and the state will continue,” the BJP leader said.
“(Opposition) Maha Vikas Aghadi coming to power means stopping of these schemes, MVA coming to power means closure of the Ladki Bahin Yojana and free electricity to farmers. When Uddhav Thackeray was the CM, the MVA had stopped 15 schemes,” he added.