Have not compromised on ideology, need power to serve people: Ajit Pawar

Satara: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said he has not compromised on ideology but asserted that one needs representation in power to serve people.

He was addressing a gathering in which Uday Undalkar, son of late Congress leader Vilaskaka Undalkar, joined the ruling Nationalist Congress Party.

"I haven't given up my ideology. To get development works done, one needs to have representation in power," Pawar said.

"In the next five years, we (government) plan to bring Rs 40 lakh crore investment in the state and generate employment for 50 lakh people. A total of 31 per cent of all foreign investment has come into Maharashtra," he said.

Asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to make India a developed nation by 2047, the deputy CM said the Maharashtra government is committed to work for farmers and women.

The state government's flagship Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which women with an annual family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh get Rs 1500 as monthly aid, will continue, Pawar reiterated.

He also said civic polls have not been held in the past three years, adding that the endeavour should to be to ensure maximum number of NCP corporators are elected.

Civic polls in several cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane, are due since early 2022.

Pawar split the Sharad Pawar-founded NCP in July 2023 and joined the then Eknath Shinde government.

In the 2024 assembly elections, NCP bagged 41 of the 57 seats it contested in alliance with BJP and Shiv Sena.