Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader Sharad Pawar reiterated on Tuesday that the approach of the INDIAN alliance remains in national elections, with no talk of state or local elections. The statement comes days after the Shiv Sena (UBT) announced its decision to fight Mumbai. municipal elections only.
In a statement that sent political shockwaves across Maharashtra, Pawar told reporters during a press conference: “There has never been any discussion on state and local elections in the INDIA alliance. The INDIA alliance only focuses on national level elections.” .
“There has never been any discussion on state and local elections in the INDIA alliance. The INDIA alliance is only focused on the national level elections,” Pawar told reporters during a press conference.
His comments come as political tensions rise in Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. Pawar revealed that the NCP and its allies will hold talks in the next 8-10 days to determine whether they will participate in the elections jointly or separately.
“In the upcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra, everyone will decide by holding a meeting in 8-10 days whether we will fight together or alone,” Pawar said, leaving the door open for possible collaboration.
Shiv Sena’s bold move: contest the municipal elections alone
The timing of Pawar’s comments coincided with a dramatic announcement by Shiv Sena MP (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Sanjay Raut, who declared that his party would contest the Mumbai and Nagpur municipal elections independently.
“We will fight Mumbai and Nagpur Municipal Corporation alone, whatever happens, happens. We have to check it for ourselves,” said Raut, confirming that party chief Uddhav Thackeray had given the green light to the initiative alone. Raut further explained that this move was aimed at strengthening the party at the local level by providing opportunities for workers to participate in elections in cities where they might not have the opportunity in general and assembly elections.
Raut’s comments also highlighted internal tensions within the INDIA alliance, with the Shiv Sena (UBT) earlier asking the Congress to take the lead in calling the alliance’s next meeting, something that has yet to happen since the elections in 2024.
Pawar expresses support for Kejriwal ahead of Delhi elections
Amid growing challenges within the alliance, Sharad Pawar expressed his support for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the crucial Delhi assembly elections scheduled for February 5.
“My feeling is that we should help Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi assembly elections,” Pawar said, pointing to a possible collaboration with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the capital. The elections will be held in a single phase on February 5 and the results will be announced on February 8.
The Battlefield of Maharashtra: BJPPawar and Thackeray’s scathing attack
The ongoing political drama in Maharashtra reached a new high over the weekend when Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a harsh attack on Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. Shah accused the two leaders of practicing a “stab in the back” policy, alleging that Pawar’s “dagger-phatka” tactics have been in play since 1978.
In his speech at the BJP state convention in Shirdi, Shah hailed the decisive victory of the ‘Mahayuti’ alliance in Maharashtra, asserting that the people of the state had put an end to the politics of betrayal. He also endorsed Eknath Shinde’s faction as the “real Shiv Sena” and Ajit Pawar’s camp as the “real NCP”.
“The people of Maharashtra have done the job of keeping Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, who initiated the politics of deceit and betrayal, at home,” Shah declared, stirring up more tensions in the already heated political atmosphere.
Looking to the future: a divided landscape
While the stage is set for municipal and assembly elections in several states, political equations in Maharashtra and Delhi are under intense scrutiny. As the INDIA alliance grapples with internal disputes, the actions of the Shiv Sena and NCP leaders will have significant implications in the upcoming election battles, with alliances and rivalries taking center stage.
With municipal elections in Maharashtra around the corner and Delhi gearing up for assembly elections, the decisions taken in the coming days will reshape the political landscape in both states and beyond.