NCP to contest Assembly polls along with MahaYuti partners, says Ajit Pawar

Mumbai, Sep 18 (IANS) Despite verbal duels and 'credit war', especially about the launch of a slew of welfare and development schemes among the MahaYuti partners, NCP national president and Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday told his party legislators that the NCP will contest upcoming Assembly election in the MahaYuti grouping along with the alliance partners.

Pawar at the special meeting with the party legislators also said that the NCP has already reached an understanding with the BJP and Shiv Sena whereby the party will get 54 seats which it had won in the 2019 Assembly election.

He also hinted that the party would settle at 60 seats instead of pressing for its earlier demand of 80 to 90 seats.

Pawar has scoffed at media reports that the BJP may ditch the NCP ahead of the Assembly election. He also ruled out the possibility of the NCP proposing friendly fights in a few seats.

A senior party functionary said: "There is a clarity now among the legislators as party president and Ajit Pawar has made it amply clear that the NCP's 54 seats, which it bagged in the last Assembly election, will remain with it and there is no question of exchange with BJP or Shiv Sena. Further, he also clearly announced that the NCP along with the BJP and Shiv Sena will together contest Assembly elections in MahaYuti with the sole objective of retaining power after the Assembly elections."

He further said that the party president has directed all the legislators and party office bearers to avoid war of words over various issues including the CM's face and also to not go on making statements giving credit to him (Ajit Pawar) for the launch of Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana and other schemes as it is the MahaYuti's initiatives.

Pawar told the legislators that nearly 2.50 crore eligible women beneficiaries will be covered under the Ladki Bahin scheme, and they will get Rs 7,000 for the period July-November. He was of the view that the NCP along with BJP and Shiv Sena will benefit as these women beneficiaries will vote for the MahaYuti.

The meeting also discussed a survey done by a digital marketing and political management firm with nearly 3.25 lakh samples especially from the districts where Ajit Pawar has so far carried out his Jansanman Yatra promoting the Ladki Bahin scheme.

"Wherever the Jansanman Yatra has gone, the ratings of Ajit Pawar in particular and NCP in general have increased from 20 per cent to over 50 per cent. Ajit Pawar has an average 48 per cent rating, and it will come handy for NCP to get a political mileage in the upcoming assembly election,"said a senior NCP minister.

(Sanjay Jog can be reached at sanjay.j@ians.in)

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