Ajit Pawar Strategizes NCP’s Aggressive Approach for Upcoming Assembly Polls

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar met senior NCP leaders to discuss Lok Sabha election results and strategize for upcoming state assembly polls. NCP plans an aggressive campaign despite speculations of MLAs aligning with Sharad Pawar's faction. The NCP leadership confirmed their united stance with the ruling coalition.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar convened a meeting with senior leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday to evaluate the Lok Sabha election results and assess the party's performance.

NCP state president Sunil Tatkare announced post-meeting that the party will approach the forthcoming state assembly elections with renewed vigor, dismissing rumors that some party MLAs were in communication with the rival NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar.

Ajit Pawar's team contested four Lok Sabha seats, winning only Raigad. The ruling coalition, which includes BJP, Shiv Sena under Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar’s NCP, secured 17 out of 48 seats. The opposition faction, Maha Vikas Aghadi, won 30 seats.

Attendees at the meeting included NCP working president Praful Patel and other senior figures like Hasan Mushrif, Chhagan Bhujbal, and Dhananjay Munde, held at Deputy CM's residence 'Deogiri' in Mumbai.

Tatkare said they will later discuss the situation with party MLAs to strategize further. “We will contest the assembly polls aggressively. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and both deputy chief ministers will decide on a united front for the elections,” he said, rejecting any claims of NCP MLAs contacting the rival faction.

In a significant defeat, Ajit Pawar's wife, Sunetra Pawar, lost to NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule in Baramati by over 1.5 lakh votes. Ajit Pawar’s defection to the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance in July last year caused a split in the NCP, originally founded by his uncle, Sharad Pawar.