Dispelling any trouble among the MahaYuti allies on the issue of seat sharing arrangements for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, NCP president and deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, said on Friday that there was no possibility of any problem under the leadership of party president Sharad Pawar.
"The seat-sharing talks are going very smooth, and the leaders of MahaYuti, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and myself along with the state chiefs of the respective parties, will soon announce the seat-sharing arrangement among the three parties," Pawar said during a press conference.
He also said that the MahaYuti alliance has drawn lessons from the Lok Sabha election results, and remedial measures had already been initiated to make the exchange of votes between allies smooth.
He hinted that the MahaYuti is confident of regaining the lost support from Dalits, OBCs, and tribals who are unlikely to still fear constitutional changes and cancellation of reservations.
"The MahaYuti government has allocated additional funds for minorities and other sections of society. Moreover, the NCP, on its part, has not strayed from the thoughts and ideology of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Mahatma Phule, Shahu Maharaj and B.R. Ambedkar," Pawar stressed, reiterating that both the NCP and the MahaYuti combine remain confident of drawing these groups of voters back into the fold in the assembly elections.
A defence also came from Ajit Pawar regarding the declaration of several welfare and development schemes undertaken by the state government. According to him, such decisions do not violate the principles of fiscal discipline.
He also denied any political motives behind these decisions, saying that they were made with a larger interest of various sections of society and for the state's development as a whole.
"The fiscal deficit will remain within the 3 percent limit of the gross state domestic product. The government has ensured that this limit is not exceeded despite launching various schemes. The budgetary allocation for these schemes has been made keeping in mind the state's revenue and the growth in its GSDP, "said Pawar.
Against this backdrop, Finance Minister Pawar accepted that in theory indeed it is the Finance Department's mandate to raise objections over such funds being allocated to these schemes, but it is the prerogative of the Cabinet to override such objections.
"There will not be a problem with funds in the implementation of these schemes as the expenditure will be lower, especially when the model code of conduct is in effect. Therefore, the funds will be utilized properly as per the allocation during the fiscal year," he added.
Earlier, actor Sayaji Shinde, who is also actively involved in environmental conservation and afforestation as part of his acting career, had already joined the NCP. To make the most of the occasion, Pawar welcomed Shinde to the party and appointed him as the star campaigner for the NCP in the assembly elections scheduled shortly.
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