The clamor of the Maharashtra assembly election campaign has now come to a halt. During the final stage of the election race, Sharad Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), posed a strong competition for his rivals. Pawar has warned his adversaries that there will be consequences for challenging him. Additionally, he shared a personal anecdote from his political career, emphasizing the importance of holding accountable those who have betrayed his trust.
Speaking at a public gathering in Madha, he mentioned his prior involvement in various elections in Maharashtra, including those for assembly, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha. When I went overseas in 1980, 52 MLAs rebelled and backed the government, causing me to relinquish my position as the Assembly’s Leader of Opposition. Despite this, my courage did not falter.
He stated that, following three years of dedication, I introduced fresh contenders in the elections and all 52 incumbent MLAs were defeated. None of them won. You are free to play tricks on anyone, except for me. Those who have betrayed us must be taught a lesson.
This statement from Pawar is being connected to his nephew Ajit Pawar. Ajit Pawar is the leader responsible for dividing the NCP into two factions. He initially joined the Shinde administration by persuading several MLAs to switch sides, and subsequently gained control of the NCP. There are claims that deep within Sharad Pawar, he feels the pain of his party’s division and he aims to address it in the upcoming elections.
In Maharashtra political scene, the uncle-nephew pair was so divided that Ajit Pawar switched to the Mahayuti alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena Shinde faction. On the contrary, Sharad Pawar is supporting Mahavikas Aghadi, comprising the Congress party and Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of Shiv Sena. It has been claimed that both the uncle and nephew are attempting to sabotage each other in the election arena. The winner between the uncle and nephew will be revealed on November 23 when the election results are announced.
The assembly elections are scheduled for Wednesday, November 20th. The outcome of the assembly elections will be announced on November 23. Following 2019, the state was split into two main political parties. Following the division between NCP and Shiv Sena, the party separated into two groups. Out of these, the Ajit Pawar faction of NCP aligned with BJP and joined the government. Prior to the division within NCP, there was also a significant division within Shiv Sena.
Following Eknath Shinde’s revolt, Uddhav Thackeray was forced to step down as Chief Minister. Following this, Eknath Shinde assumed the role of Chief Minister with the backing of BJP. At the same time, as this is the inaugural assembly election in the state post-division, both the state and the country are closely watching this election. There is much speculation on whether the Mahayuti government will return in the state or if the Mahavikas Aghadi government will be established.