Praful Patel, the working president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), firmly dismissed the possibility of a merger between the Ajit Pawar-led faction and the one led by Sharad Pawar. Patel confirmed that the NCP, under Ajit Pawar’s leadership, will participate in the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections as a member of the MahaYuti (grand alliance).
Patel clarified, “The position is clear. One faction of the NCP is aligned with the MahaYuti, while the other is with the Maha Vikas Aghadi. We (the Ajit Pawar-led NCP) will continue our association with the MahaYuti.”
He recalled, “In 1999, the NCP and Congress were rivals, but they later united. Currently, our alliance with MahaYuti is firm. Instead of indulging in hypothetical scenarios, we will concentrate on contesting the Assembly elections as part of the grand alliance.”
Regarding seat allocation, Patel stated, “We are not focusing on specific numbers at this moment. However, we have requested our allies that the MahaYuti will achieve better results if the seat distribution reflects the actual strength of each party. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Shiv Sena had 18 seats, but 14 MPs joined the Shinde faction, leading to misallocation. This misstep affected the Lok Sabha results, as the seats should have been given based on the actual strength.”
Patel also noted, “We demonstrated flexibility during the seat allocation for the Assembly elections. Dharashiv’s seat was allocated to us in a timely manner, but only two of the four candidates were from the original NCP. This led to some confusion among party workers due to the alliance of three parties.”
He mentioned that the narrative surrounding a constitutional change during the Lok Sabha elections, fueled by the ‘400 plus’ slogan, has subsided. Patel believes that such issues will not impact the Assembly elections.
Patel attributed the Lok Sabha election setbacks in Maharashtra to three key factors: social issues, the farmers' plight, and the narrative surrounding the elections. He pointed out the farmers' dissatisfaction due to inadequate prices for their produce and the impact of the government’s ban on onion exports as significant issues.
He also expressed his respect for Sharad Pawar, saying, “Sharad Pawar is my leader. I have communicated with him in Parliament and had meetings there.”
In closing, Patel described his political approach as moderate, asserting, “Praful Patel is known for his moderate political stance.”
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