MVA will provide an alternative to people, no one-upmanship in alliance: Sharad Pawar

Pune, Jul 20 (PTI) NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will work unitedly for the upcoming assembly elections and provide an alternative to the people of Maharashtra while accusing the Mahayuti government of “not solving people’s problems”.

Talking to reporters here, Pawar said there was no one-upmanship in the alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress.

In a spectacular performance in the parliamentary polls, the MVA managed to clinch 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

“Whatever issues come up, we will resolve them amicably. There is no problem with having more expectations and demands. They were there during the Lok Sabha elections as well, but we resolved it,” he said.

Pawar was speaking to the media outside the residence of Shirur MP Amol Kolhe here.

Atul Benke, an NCP MLA from Junnar, was also present at the meeting with Kolhe.

Benke is the latest in a series of senior NCP leaders, the most recent being Chhagan Bhujbal, to call on Sharad Pawar.

Recently, 28 NCP leaders from Pune, including the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit’s city president and two former corporators, quit the Ajit Pawar-led party after its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections to join the NCP (SP).

“Those who worked for our candidates in the Lok Sabha elections are our people, and it is our responsibility to protect their interests,” Pawar said.

The NCP (SP) has begun poll preparations for the upcoming assembly elections with a state-wide manifesto crowdsourcing campaign and the release of a book on the “black deeds” of the ruling Mahayuti.

“They [the Mahayuti government] have not solved people’s problems despite coming to power. We want to take the Vidhan Sabha back,” the party chief said.

On the seat-sharing discussions within the MVA, Pawar said, “Everyone requests for more seats. But the important thing is to win the seats that you contest from. The NCP (SP) contested 10 seats but won eight. We had the highest strike rate.”

He, however, said he does not believe in such rankings and the alliance partners would go to the public together for the upcoming polls.

“In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Congress won one seat, and the NCP won four seats. Five years later, the people of Maharashtra have given our alliance 31 seats,” he said, expressing optimism about the MVA’s prospects.

Pawar had earlier said the opposition parties would win 225 out of 288 seats in the state assembly polls, likely to be held in October.

The Maharashtra election commission, in its order dated July 16, froze the trumpet and turha symbols and removed them from the list of free symbols.

After the Lok Sabha elections, the NCP (SP) asked the poll body to remove these similar-looking symbols.

Reacting to this development, Pawar said, “I welcome the decision. But the decision is limited to Maharashtra. We now hope that the decision is extended to the national level.”

On the violence during an anti-encroachment drive at Vishalgad Fort in Kolhapur, Pawar said the eviction of people living near the fort was unnecessary, and even the High Court has stepped in now.