Sharad Pawar’s aide Jitendra Awhad: ‘Mahayuti tried to split OBCs, Marathas… Many industries lost to Gujarat’

Elections stay the same. The fig of parties expanding oregon decreasing doesn’t matter. What matters is what radical think. We (Maharashtra) person mislaid galore industries to Gujarat. Our system is successful doldrums, unemployment and inflation are astatine an all-time high. Our societal justness section has mislaid everything. Scholarships are not being fixed to disadvantaged groups. These are the predetermination issues.

The NCP (SP) is contesting less seats this clip arsenic compared to the past undivided NCP successful 2019. Don’t you deliberation it would shrink the party’s footprint?

The discourse changes successful each election. And astir apt the astir experienced antheral successful conjugation authorities successful India is Sharad Pawar… He understands the chemistry of it. He advised america not to inquire for more, which could make a small problematic concern betwixt the 3 parties (in the MVA).

The seat-sharing pact among the MVA partners saw its ups and downs. The Sena (UBT) raised immoderate issues with the Congress.

The seat-sharing is ever complicated. Now I don’t privation to speech astir yesterday, and alternatively talk astir what volition hap tomorrow.

But are each 3 MVA parties contented now?

Naturally. And that is wherefore it (seat-sharing) has been sealed.

The Haryana elections saw an “anti-Jat consolidation” which helped the BJP. Congress leaders openly spoke astir it. Do you deliberation this could hap with respect to Marathas successful Maharashtra?

We don’t play caste politics. I americium an OBC. The enactment of the conjugation authorities (Mahayuti) offered thing (over quota) which OBCs and Marathas were ne'er going to take. They tried to divided them. They polarised the communities. That is what is happening successful the state. They person torn the societal fabric. Without the Lok Sabha’s nod, they couldn’t springiness reservation, and they should person known that. But they did each this for the involvement of power.

Maratha quota activistic Manoj Jarange Patil has withdrawn himself from the canvass arena. Do you deliberation it would marque an impact?

I americium not his (Jarange Patil’s) spokesperson. People volition determine what they person to do. People volition ballot against Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. People are suffering and that volition determine the elections. Only contractors are getting profits. I don’t cognize wherever the 50% committee is going, but they person benefited. It is simply a authorities by the contractors, for the contractors, of the contractors.

There has besides been a statement astir the summons allocation to Muslims. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP has fixed much tickets to Muslims than your party. Do you deliberation the community’s votes volition get split?

What is your (NCP’s) basal connected Muslims erstwhile your state BJP says they would participate mosques and onslaught people. Did helium (Ajit Pawar) ever instrumentality a basal for Muslims. Secularism is not from what you say, but what you do. Your quality is ever anti-Muslim and anti-Dalit and anti-OBC. Communal authorities volition not assistance our state. It has been the astir socially reformed society. Our confederation is 1 of purpose, portion theirs is an opportunistic 1 to seizure power. You indispensable person seen however Nawab Malik has been targeted by the BJP. It shows the existent colours of their alliance.

In the Haryana elections, the Congress’s nonaccomplishment was besides attributed to its rebel candidates. Do you deliberation Maharashtra whitethorn spot thing similar?

In Haryana, the constituencies were smaller and truthful was the electorate. The ECI played an important role. It was 1 of the participants successful the election, and everything went towards the close side… We each saw however the voting percent changed during the Lok Sabha polls astir a week later. How did that hap erstwhile EVMs person physics calculators. How tin it increase. You instrumentality a calculator and bash immoderate calculation, volition it alteration aft a week? The ECI is making a gag of things.

Regarding the rebel concern successful Maharashtra, I don’t deliberation it volition beryllium similar Haryana.