Next election will be between MVA and BJP, Shinde faction will have no existence, claims NCP leader

Maharashtra Politics: Assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held in 2024, but even before that political activity has started increasing. Meanwhile, on Saturday (March 18, 2024), a big statement of Maharashtra NCP President Jayant Patil has come to the fore. Jayant Patil said in a warning tone that the 2024 assembly elections in the state would be between BJP vs MVA. He said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena would have no existence. Patil told reporters here that he believed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would contest all the 288 assembly seats on its own symbol and the Shinde faction would cease to exist.

Crisis on the existence of Shinde faction

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader said, “I don’t think the Shinde group will survive when the BJP and the MVA are in the fray in the elections.” The MVA government formed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led grouping, the NCP and the Congress fell last year after Shinde walked out of the undivided Shiv Sena.

Uddhav faction had accused the Election Commission of bias

Eknath Shinde then joined hands with the BJP to seize power in Maharashtra and was sworn in as the chief minister of the state. In which the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis was made Deputy CM. The Shinde faction was recently allotted the name ‘Shiv Sena’ and its ‘bow-arrow’ symbol by the Election Commission. After which the Uddhav faction has accused the Election Commission of bias.

Patil made serious allegations against BJP

Patil alleged that the BJP does not want to recognize the existence of local political organizations and does not want them to grow. The NCP leader said, “The BJP has worked to destroy smaller parties – allies or rivals. The BJP’s one-point agenda is to destabilize smaller parties so that it can grab their vote share.” Patil said that even if the Shinde group survives, the BJP may ask them to contest on 48 seats at the last moment. At the same time, Shinde will tell the faction that only five to six of their candidates can win.

Government ignores old pension scheme

When asked about the CM’s statement in the assembly on the demands of farmers, Patil said that despite the demand of Rs 500 to Rs 600, the government has increased the money for onion purchase to Rs 350 per quintal. Patil said the government has no word on the demand for 12-hour uninterrupted power supply for farmers. He said that the Chief Minister ignored the issue of 100 per cent grant to aided schools and implementation of the old pension scheme.