Maharashtra: MVA denies fissures within, keeps strategy under wraps

While the BJP is trying to win over the Independents and small party MLAs on its own, the Shiv Sena, Congress and the NCP seem to be doing so separately, leading to allegations that they are working for the interest of their respective candidates. However, leaders of all the three constituents have denied the charge.

“The Congress is trying to woo Independents who owe allegiance to the NCP. On the other hand, the NCP is trying to win over Independent and small party MLAs close to Shiv Sena. The Sena, which is trying to keep its flock together, never faced such a situation when they were with the BJP,” alleged BJP spokesperson Ashish Shelar on Friday. The BJP has 106 MLAs. Each candidate needs 27 votes to get elected. The election is expected to be a cakewalk for four of the party’s candidates but it has fielded five candidates.

Minister Balasaheb Thorat, a senior Congress leader, denied that all the three constituents were working at cross-purposes. “No, it is not true that separate phone calls are going from our three parties to Independent and small parties MLAs. Each one of us trying to keep the MLAs who supported us all along within our fold. We have a strategy in place…All our six candidates will win,” he said.

Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut too denied the charge. “We have learnt our lessons from the failure in Rajya Sabha polls. We have realised what went wrong. We are now skilled at winning, we have devised an effective and coordinated strategy…but we will not reveal what it is…BJP won’t even realise how we managed to outsmart it,” he told this paper.

Meanwhile, Hitendra Thakur, who heads the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and has three MLAs, refused to reveal who his party is going to support. NCP candidate Ramraje Nimbalkar, Congress candidate Bhai Jagtap and BJP candidate Prasad Lad met him separately, but Thakur kept his cards close to his chest. In the Rajya Sabha polls too, Thakur’s BVA played a crucial role. The Shiv Sena had openly alleged that BVA had voted for the BJP candidate. Thakur had clarified that his MLAs had voted for all winning candidate.

Mahadeo Jankar, chief of Rashtriya Samaj Party, who has two MLAs, said, “We have not yet decided to whom we will vote. Neither BJP nor MVA has contacted us.” Jankar was a minister in Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Sena government. However, of late, he has voiced his for the MVA.

MVA minister Bachchu Kadu, who heads the Prahar Janshakti, said, “We have been with the MVA and will remain with it.”

Independent MLA Devendra Bhuyar, took a jibe at the Shiv Sena, “I hope when I vote, Sanjay Raut accompanies me…Or he should himself vote on my behalf.” After Rajya Sabha polls, Raut had alleged that Bhuyar voted for the BJP candidate. Bhuyar had denied the charge.