Maintaining that the people had not forgotten the MahaYuti’s “sin of selling Maharashtra to Gujarat”, State Congress president Nana Patole expressed confidence that “they will defeat the BJP-led ruling alliance in the Assembly polls to be held in October this year”. Talking to media persons after a meeting of senior Congress leaders held at Gandhi Bhavan here, Patole said that despite the fact the “self-proclaimed Vishwaguru” (Modi) addressed as many as 17 public rallies, the BJP-led NDA suffered a big blow in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
“Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis is now saying that people forget the LS poll outcome, but the self-respecting people of Maharashtra have not forgotten the sin of selling Maharashtra to Gujarat committed by the Mahayuti government. The people will teach the BJP-led Mahayuti a lesson in the Assembly polls as well,” Patole said.
On the ongoing seat adjustment talks among the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, Patole said: “There is no big or small brother in the Mahavikas Aghadi. The decisions on seat allocation will be based on merit. We are contesting this election as the Mahavikas Aghadi, and the decision on the chief ministerial post will be made after the election,” he said.
“Our ally NCP President Sharad Pawar has also taken the same position. Today’s meeting included preliminary discussions on seat allocation and various issues in the state,” he said. Patole said that former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is the chairman of the manifesto committee, would prepare a manifesto that would meet the expectations of the people of the state, after consulting with various sections of society.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s ongoing visit to New Delhi, Patole said: “This is not for the first time that Uddhav Thackeray has gone to Delhi. He has visited before as well”.
Defending Uddhav’s proposed meeting with former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Patole said: “He (Uddhav) is meeting senior Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, in Delhi. There is no need to interpret this meeting differently. Sonia Gandhi is an important leader in the country, a symbol of sacrifice who refused the prime ministerial position. Under her leadership, the Congress-led UPA government was in power twice in the country”.