MVA aims to free people from current govt, confident of repeating Lok Sabha success: Sharad Pawar

NEW DELHI: The NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday expressed strong confidence that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will replicate its Lok Sabha election performance in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, indicating that the people of Maharashtra are seeking political change.
During a press conference with state Congress chief Nana Patole and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar condemned the current administration, a day after the murder of Baba Siddique, a politician from Ajit Pawar's NCP faction.
He said that Maharashtra's governance has become demoralised under the Mahayuti regime and stressed the importance of clear vision and accountability in the state's administration.
The Mahayuti alliance includes Shiv Sena, led by chief minister Eknath Shinde, BJP, and Ajit Pawar's NCP.
"We want to make people free from the present government and I am confident they will support us," Pawar said. He added that MVA aims to repeat its performance seen in the Lok Sabha polls.
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray pointed out that despite a small difference in vote share between Congress and BJP in the recent Haryana elections, BJP secured more seats. He also questioned why the results of Jammu and Kashmir elections are not discussed, particularly after the abrogation of Article 370.
Pawar also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying that the Congress had done nothing for the Banjara community.
"He forgets that Vasantrao Naik, who belonged to the community, was the longest serving chief minister of the state," he said.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole remarked that the people will not accept political speeches by the PM during official functions.
Pawar emphasised that Maharashtra’s administration is now demoralised and accused the government of making decisions that mock the common man. "We are making a collective attempt to free people from this government and I hope people will support us," he said.
Thackeray mentioned that actions by the state government are viewed with suspicion, citing recent cases of crime in Mumbai despite having "two police commissioners."
When questioned about the MVA's chief ministerial candidate for the expected state elections next month, Thackeray said, "Let the Mahayuti announce its CM face, MVA will follow suit." Both Pawar and Patole agreed, emphasizing that their primary goal is to defeat the current government, not to project a CM candidate.