BJP-Sena will form alliance in 2019: Ajit Pawar

PUNE: Former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday stated that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena will form an alliance in the 2019 elections, despite Sena leaders making claims otherwise.

“BJP leaders are aware that if they do not join hands with Shiv Sena, they will have to sit in opposition,” Pawar said, while speaking at a function organized by the Pune Union of Working Journalists.

Pawar said that the outcome of the recent bypolls reflected the people’s sentiments towards the BJP-led governments at the centre and state. Both governments have failed on many fronts and haven’t delivered on their promises, he stated. “BJP had comfortably won the Bhandara-Gondia seat in the last elections. However, in the bypolls, the seat was lost to an NCP candidate. This shows that people are no longer in the mood to accept BJP’s false promises,” Pawar said.

When asked about NCP’s alliance with Congress, Pawar mentioned that although NCP and Congress had joined hands for the recent bypolls, top leaders of both parties will take a decision on the NCP-Congress alliance for 2019 elections.

Pawar said that despite holding a majoirty in Pune, with eight MLAs and two MPs, BJP hasn’t been able to resolve the city’s problems. “We can’t understand the MLAs’ contribution toward the city’s development. It seems that guardian minister Girish Bapat does not have a say in the state cabinet regarding Pune’s issues. The state government has not been bringing new projects for the city,” he said.

Pawar also sought to know what the chief minister had done to resolve pending projects in Pune and adjacent areas over the last four years. “The city is facing a garbage management problem. Rivers are unclean. The city’s youths don’t have employment opportunities. Metro, Chandani Chowk flyover and 24x7 water supply projects are on a slow track. The outcome of the Smart City project isn’t visible anywhere. BJP has not given any concrete plan for the city. BJP’s performance in the civic body has been very poor in the last one year,” Pawar claimed.