Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan today said the people's power would defeat the "BJP's money power" in the Palghar Lok Sabha by-election.
Addressing an election rally to campaign for Congress nominee Damodar Shingda at Dahanu in the neighbouring Palghar district, Chavan accused the ruling party of trying to win the bypoll by use of money and power.
"Palghar's self respecting voters will see through this game. People's power will defeat the BJP's money power," he said, and exuded confidence that voters will elect the Congress' "honest and loyal" candidate, Shingda.
The by-election, scheduled on May 28, was necessitated following the death of BJP MP Chintaman Wanaga.
The Shiv Sena has given ticket to the late MP's son, Shrinivas Wanaga, while the BJP has fielded Rajendra Gavit, who recently quit the Congress to join the ruling party.
Chavan said the BJP and the Shiv Sena are fighting over Chintaman Wanaga's legacy.
"After the MP's death, the BJP neglected the Wanaga family and since the party wasn't finding any candidate, it poached Gavit," he alleged.
"Since Gavit is staring at defeat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath, and the central and state ministers are camping in Palghar," he said.
He claimed the BJP has not fulfilled a single promise made by it in Maharashtra and at the Centre during the election campaigns.
"Fadnavis and Modi betrayed the people's trust," the Congress leader charged.
"Both the governments (in Maharashtra and at the Centre) are interested only in getting tribal and farm land for the bullet train and Samruddhi Expressway (Mumbai-Nagpur) projects. Fadnavis is more interested in Gujarat's development than that of Palghar," he alleged.
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