Amid growing anticipation over the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar said on Thursday that the ruling Mahayuti government, of which his NCP is a constituent, will soon find a solution to a seat-sharing agreement.
Speaking exclusively to a news agency, the NCP chief mentioned that his discussions on the seat-sharing agreement had received a positive response from Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde, who leads the Shiv Sena, and BJP's Devendra Fadnavis. Pawar expressed confidence that a solution would be reached soon.
"Everyone wants to contest from the maximum number of seats, and a solution will be found," he stated.
“However, we need to hold talks with our other alliance partners as well. Let's wait for a few days,” the Deputy CM added.
Further, when asked whether the "mistake" he referred to in connection with the Baramati Lok Sabha contest between Supriya Sule and his wife Sunetra was political or personal, the Deputy CM responded, "There is nothing deliberate about speaking of a mistake. I am the master of my mind. I speak my mind. I am a straightforward person."
He also addressed questions about reuniting with his uncle, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar. "I will only speak about my work and vision for Maharashtra. We will tell people to give us a chance again so that we can bring more funds to the state. The opposition is always negative," he said.
Moreover, during the interview, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar also spoke about leading the NCP away from the shadows of his uncle and NCP founder Sharad Pawar after the split.
“This is the biggest responsibility I have ever received. Until now, (Sharad) Pawar Saheb was our leader and our chief. When I joined politics in 1991, there was no NCP at the time.
“When I was in Congress, there were several leaders. Therefore, there was no question about (extra responsibility). When NCP was formed in 1999, I was given responsibilities only after 2004. Now, the final responsibility lies with me because I am the NCP chief,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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