Maharashtra polls: Sharad Pawar hints at bigger role for state president Jayant Patil

SANGLI: Amid Maha Vikas Aghadi's Chief Minister face talks for upcoming assembly election, Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (SCP), has hinted at a more significant role for Jayant Patil, the Maharashtra NCP-SCP president, in shaping the state's future.

Pawar emphasized that the journey to rebuild a progressive and developed Maharashtra will start from Islampur in Sangli and Jayant Patil should take the responsibility on his shoulders and the party and all his colleague will back him.

This statement hinted that Patil can play a crucial part in upcoming election period.

While addressing a public rally in Islampur assembly constituency in Sangli district of Maharashtra on Wednesday, Sharad Pawar said, "The bad picture of the Maharashtra needs to be changed. We want a different Maharashtra. If I say different Maharashtra that means like of the vision of first Chief Minister Yashwantrao Chavan and to make such, many have made sacrifices like Vasant Naik, Rajaram bapu etc. They all wanted a powerful and strong progressive state. But the people who are in power currently do not even think in the interest of Maharashtra."

He also pointed out that situation is such today that the state is trailing at a low level in all sectors.

"Once upon a time Maharashtra was on the top of all state in the country, therefore we have to take this job in our hand to shape, rebuild and make the state progressive again," he said.

"In upcoming election, we have to take this job in our hand and I am happy that this is starting from here in Islampur Sangli. I am happy that Jayant Patil is going in all corners of the state. He is meeting people, giving them confidence and informing about our ideology. I am sure the youth of the state will stand strongly with him and the dreams which we have about Maharashtra will be fulfilled. You, me and all Maharashtra people expect that he should take this responsibility on his shoulder. We need to back him strongly," Sharad Pawar said.

He further assured that he and his party will back Jayant Patil "strongly".

Assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20, the Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday (October 15, 2024). With this, the political parties have begun gearing up for an election that will be unprecedented in many ways.

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Congress and unified Shiv Sena had won 154 out of 288 seats as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition. However, this time around the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar's NCP and Congress are in alliance to counter the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.

In the Lok Sabha election held this year, MVA won 30 of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats. The ruling alliance won 17. One seat went to an Independent candidate.