Lok Sabha Elections 2024: PM Modi invites Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray to join NDA

Mumbai: In a significant development in Maharashtra midway into the five-phase polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered Uddhav Thackeray to join his BJP-led alliance and stay away from the Congress.

After the back-to-back splits in the Shiv Sena and the NCP, Thackeray and Pawar now head Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), respectively.

The Prime Minister’s statement comes in wake of Pawar’s prediction that any smaller parties would go closer to Congress or merge with the grand old party.

Addressing a rally in Nandurbar of Maharashtra, Modi said: “The 'nakli NCP' and 'nakli Shiv Sena' have decided to merge with Congress….I would say that supporting us and winning is better than supporting Congress and losing after 4 June."

“But instead of dying by merging with the Congress, come to Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar,” he added.

“I feel sad many times thinking about how much Balasaheb Thackeray would be suffering. Now these fake Shiv Sena people have started taking even the culprits of bomb blasts in their campaign. So, it's not a big deal that they dream of burying me alive. These people have lost the support and trust of the public, their political ground has slipped away,” Modi said hitting out at Thackeray, a former Maharashtra chief minister.

"A big leader here who is active for 40-50 years is worried after polling in Baramati,” Modi charged targeting Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra chief minister and three-time union minister.

Patole's reaction

Reacting to the PM's election speech, state Congress President Nana Patole said: “The statement proves that BJP is losing in the Lok Sabha polls.” 

“Today in the country, the Parliamentary democracy is threatened because of Modi…we admire the Nehru-Gandhi ideology. We will not go anywhere and will not leave the ideology.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said: “We want to destroy the dictatorship of Modi. They are planning to destroy the Constitution and that is their dream.”

NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said: “After listening to Narendra Modi election speech in Maharashtra, it appears that he is convinced that BJP has lost the Lok Sabha polls.”