Sharad Pawar’s NCP Says Prominent Mahayuti Leader To Jump Ship Before Maharashtra Polls

Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) President Jayant Patil on Wednesday said that a prominent leader from the ruling Mahayuti alliance is considering joining their party.

While he refrained from disclosing the identity of the leader or the party, Patil remarked, “It will be revealed at the appropriate time.”

Patil further noted that if this defection happens, it could significantly impact efforts to unseat the current ruling Mahayuti coalition in Maharashtra, which includes the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Ajit Pawar, according to an Indian Express report.

Visible Resentment Against BJP’s Central Leadership: Tapase 

Earlier today, NCP (SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase claimed there is growing discontent within the ruling Mahayuti alliance and that it will not secure more than 100 seats in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

“There is visible resentment against the central leadership of the BJP. Each time these leaders visit Maharashtra, the Mahayuti’s support base erodes further,” Tapase stated.

Speaking to reporters, Tapase said that the electorate’s dissatisfaction with the BJP’s central leadership is a key factor in the ruling alliance’s declining support.

He specifically pointed to Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah’s visit to Nagpur on Tuesday, during which Shah urged the saffron party workers to work towards increasing the party’s vote share by at least 10 per cent to ensure the Mahayuti alliance’s victory in the polls.

In response to Shah’s appeal, Tapase expressed confidence that the Mahayuti’s vote share would actually decrease by 20 per cent, arguing that voters in the state are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the BJP’s “power-hungry” approach.

“The BJP has relied heavily on its central leaders to boost its electoral performance in Maharashtra, but the people of this state are no longer interested. They want accountability, development, jobs – which the Mahayuti has failed to give,” he said.

Tapase also noted a growing divide between the BJP and its allies in Maharashtra, adding that attempts to lure MLAs from the parties led by Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar to forge an “unconstitutional alliance” have not resonated well with the public.

Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly are likely to be held in mid-November.

(With inputs from PTI)