Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections: NCP leader Ajit Pawar to launch connect with people

Mumbai: In the run up to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, Ajit Pawar would undertake a massive connect and outreach programme traversing through the length and breadth of the state explaining the initiatives that the Maha Yuti (NDA) government had taken.

Ajit Pawar, who is the Deputy Chief Minister and NCP, faces a major task in the Vidhan Sabha polls after the debacle of the ruling alliance in the Lok Sabha polls.

The NCP has contested four seats of which it managed to win just one seat with state President Sunil Tatkare emerging victorious from Raigad.

Ajit Pawar got a major jolt in Baramati in the Lok Sabha polls, where his wife Sunetra Pawar lost to his cousin Supriya Sule, the daughter of NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar. However, later Sunetra Pawar was accommodated in the Rajya Sabha.

In The Vidhan Sabha polls, the NCP (SP) is planning to field Yugendra Pawar against Ajit Pawar, a seven-time MLA from Baramati.

Ajit Pawar is now set to undertake Jan Samman Yatra, a massive connect and outreach tour, during which he would travel all the regions - Konkan, Western Maharashtra, North Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha.

During the yatra, among other things, Ajit Pawar, who is the state’s Finance and Planning minister, would highlight the initiatives that he had announced in Budget 2024-25 including Chief Minister Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, Chief Minister Annapurna Yojana, Chief Minister Farmers Electricity Subsidy Scheme, Chief Minister Youth Work Training Scheme and the initiatives for farmers.

“Ajit Dada introduced his tenth budget which focuses on empowering social causes, rural areas, and more,” Tatkare said.

“This Yatra is aimed to inform people about the benefits of these schemes and to communicate our political ideology to the public ahead of the upcoming elections,” he added.

Currently, in the Maha Yuti alliance, the BJP has 103 MLAs, followed by the NCP's 40, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's 38.

As far as the Maha Vikas Aghadi is concerned, the Congress has 37 MLAs, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15 and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) 10.

The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly comprises 288 seats and seat-sharing is going to be an important issue among the three allies.

Another important issue is that the BJP’s ideological parent RSS has openly expressed displeasure over the saffron party allying with the NCP.

RSS stalwart Ratan Sharda, in an opinion piece “Modi 3.0: Conversation for course correction” published in Organiser, has criticised BJP’s decision - and this was followed by an article

‘Karyakarta khachlela nahi, tar sambhramat' (Worker is not discouraged, but confused), penned by Nimesh Vahalkar.

The NCP has been very guarded on the RSS criticism and preferred not to give sharp reactions.

Of the 48 seats in the Lok Sabha, the BJP-led Maha Yuti (NDA) won 17 seats as against 31 of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A).

From Mahayuti, the BJP contested 28 seats and won nine, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena fielded 15 candidates and won 7 while Ajit Pawar-led NCP fought four and won one seat. One seat was allotted to ally Rashtriya Samaj Paksha president Mahadev Jankar, who lost.