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In a significant development ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) has suffered a major blow as its senior leader Manikrao Sonvalkar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday. He, along with 5,000 workers, officially joined the saffron party in the presence of Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Upon Sonvalkar's entry into the party, BJP leaders warmly welcomed and congratulated him.
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Maharashtra BJP chief's statement
Speaking on the occasion, Maharashtra BJP chief Bawankule said 14.5 crore people know that Maha Vikas Aghadi is trying to "incite dispute" among different communities as Vidhan Sabha elections are approaching. "When Congress' government was formed, such incidents never happened as there was no dirty politics in the opposition. Whenever the government is formed against Congress, be it country or state, they become ready to spoil the society. They work to damage the government and spread confusion among the people," he added.
Maharashtra Assembly elections
With Maharashtra Assembly elections just a few months away, both the ruling NDA alliance and the Opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi are actively preparing for the upcoming contest. As per reports, parties within both alliances are engaged in a series of meetings to finalise seat-sharing arrangements. On one hand, political manoeuvring continues within the NDA as seat-sharing negotiations progress, while on the other, a significant meeting is expected within the MVA to address the same issue. It is believed that once the seat-sharing agreements are finalised, the political atmosphere is likely to intensify further.
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