After Lok Sabha triumph, Sharad Pawar aims to take control of Maharashtra

After unexpected success in the Lok Sabha elections, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has set his eyes on the upcoming assembly elections in Maharashtra. On Thursday, the NCP supremo said it would be his endeavour to take control of Maharashtra, for which his party must win the state assembly polls.

Under Pawar's leadership, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) surprised many by winning eight out of ten Lok Sabha seats it contested in Maharashtra. His daughter Supriya Sule won the high-stake family battle for the Baramati seat for the fourth straight term, defeating her cousin Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar.

After a spectacular win in the Lok Sabha elections, Pawar has begun preparations for the assembly elections and meeting people in Baramati. During a meeting in Baramati's Shirsuphal village, Pawar said the people of Baramati constituency remained silent during the election period.

The senior Pawar said his party functionaries used to tell him that people were silent and they were not speaking openly. "I asked them not to worry and said that even if they are not expressing themselves, they will press the right button (of EVMs). And the same thing happened. When the EVMs were opened, the magic was seen as you people voted in large numbers," he said.

NCP (SP) candidate Supriya Sule defeated Sunetra Pawar by 1.58 lakh votes. Sule secured 7,32,312 votes, while Sunetra had to settle with 5,73,979.

Pawar appealed to people to stay united as the state assembly elections are just around the corner. "In the next three to four months, state elections are taking place. Come what may, it will be my endeavour to take control of the state. To achieve this, we must win the assembly polls," he added.

In the last assembly elections, the NCP and Congress had contested together and won 98 seats, while BJP-Shiv Sena bagged 161 of 288 seats. However, after the difference with the BJP over the chief minister's post, Shiv Sena, which had 56 seats, switched sides and formed the government with Congress and NCP.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) is part of the MVA alliance, the BJP wants Uddhav Thackeray to introspect as his party's performance has come down in the Lok Sabha polls. BJP's Chandrakant Patil on Wednesday said that Thackeray made great efforts during the Lok Sabha election campaign, but his allies Congress and NCP (SP) benefitted more than his party.

Uddhav's Sena could win only 9 seats out of 21 it contested, while Congress won 13 of 17, and NCP won 8 of 10.

(With inputs from PTI)