'Assembly polls will be different...': Sharad Pawar drops big hint on seat sharing for Maharashtra elections

As Maharashtra braces for assembly elections, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), NCP (SP), is recalibrating its strategy. 

The party, which conceded fewer seats to its Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies during the Lok Sabha elections to preserve the alliance, is set to adopt a more assertive stance in the upcoming assembly polls.

In a series of pivotal meetings held on Friday, NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar gathered party functionaries from Pune city and district, followed by a session with MLAs and newly-elected MPs. City NCP (SP) chief Prashant Jagtap, who attended the first meeting, revealed that Pawar justified the reduced seat count in the Lok Sabha polls as a necessary compromise to keep the alliance with the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Congress intact.

“He indicated that the picture in the assembly polls will be different,” Jagtap stated, hinting at a more aggressive approach.

During the second meeting, Pawar urged MPs and MLAs to gear up for the assembly elections. He reviewed the electoral landscape in key constituencies, including Pune, Baramati, Maval, and Shirur.

Meanwhile, state NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil informed reporters that the party has not yet finalized its seat demands for the MVA seat-sharing negotiations. Addressing the contentious Baramati assembly seat, currently held by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar of the rival NCP faction, Patil confirmed that Sharad Pawar would make the final decision.

Senior NCP (SP) leader Anil Deshmukh emphasized unity within the MVA, dismissing notions of hierarchy among the alliance partners. “There is no 'elder brother and younger brother' in the MVA. All are equal,” he asserted.

Deshmukh also noted the unease among MLAs from the Ajit Pawar-led faction following the Lok Sabha results. “Some have reached out to Patil and other NCP (SP) leaders for guidance. We will decide on the next steps,” he added.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the NCP (SP) outperformed its rival faction, winning eight out of ten contested seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led group secured only one of the four seats it contested.

With the assembly elections on the horizon, the NCP (SP) is gearing up for a fierce contest, determined to carve out a larger share of the political landscape.