Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday (February 23) said that the BJP is not facing any anti-incumbency in the country and will return to power at the Centre for the third consecutive term and noted that the party “does not need to target the Opposition” in the Lok Sabha polls. Fadnavis also termed the BJP’s alliance with Ajit Pawar-led NCP as “strategic” and described the tie-up with Shiv Sena as an “emotional” one.
Speaking at an event, the Deputy CM talked about the political dynamics in Maharashtra in the run-up to the general elections.
“We are in a strategic alliance with NCP and have an emotional alliance with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena,” he said.
“The BJP does not face anti-incumbency. We don’t need to target the Opposition,” he added.
Fadnavis on tie-up with Ajit Pawar
Mentioning about the development taking place shortly after the Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019 when he was sworn in as the chief minister and Ajit Pawar as his Deputy, Fadnavis said that Sharad Pawar had nominated Ajit for leading the alliance-related talks.
“...Later, Ajit Pawar couldn't back out from the commitments he had made to BJP,” Fadnavis said.
Ajit Pawar and many top NCP leaders walked away from the Sharad Pawar-founded party last year and joined hands with the ruling coalition of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP.
In 2022, Eknath Shinde had led a rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray and split the party to form a government with the BJP.
“We had treated them as brothers for 25 years. It was Uddhav Thackeray ji who closed all doors,” he said, referring to the severing of ties between the undivided Sena and BJP after the last state polls.
Sharing his views about whether BJP will do better in Maharashtra compared to last elections, Fadnavis said, “There are challenges but we will do better than last two times.”
About his change of role, from CM to deputy CM, Fadnavis said, “The agenda that I drove during my tenure as the chief minister, I am able to deliver upon that even as deputy CM.”
Fadnavis said the ground cadre of BJP is driven by ideology and not expectations.
Fadnavis on Maharashtra Assembly elections later this year
Commenting on whether the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP alliance will continue even after the Lok Sabha polls, Fadnavis said that the state polls will be fought under the leadership of Shinde.
“The alliance with NCP and Shiv Sena will continue in the upcoming elections. Eknath Shinde is our leader and we will fight the assembly elections under his leadership,” he said.
No matter how many parties join hands with the BJP, it is the saffron party’s ideology that matters.
“The alliance parties associate themselves with our ideology,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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