Sharad Pawar Claims ‘Guaranteed’ MVA Victory Offered
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has revealed that he was offered a "guarantee" of 160 seats for the MVA in the Maharashtra polls, a claim that has drawn sharp criticism from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
- NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has claimed that two individuals offered him a “guarantee” of 160 seats for the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
- Pawar said he introduced the individuals to Rahul Gandhi, who rejected the offer, stating that they should “go directly to the people.”
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis questioned the timing of Pawar’s revelation, suggesting it was an attempt to support Rahul Gandhi’s recent “vote theft” allegations.
GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 9th Aug: In a startling political claim, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has alleged that ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, two individuals approached him with an offer to “guarantee” a victory of 160 seats for the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. The number would have given the alliance a comfortable majority in the 288-member House.
Pawar, who made the comments while speaking to reporters in Nagpur, said that he had introduced the individuals to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “He dismissed the offer and felt we should not get involved in such matters, but instead go directly to the people,” Pawar said. This marks the first time in recent years that the veteran leader has publicly questioned the Election Commission of India (ECI), lending weight to Rahul Gandhi’s recent allegations of electoral irregularities.
The claim was immediately countered by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who questioned its timing. “Why did Mr. Pawar remember this after meeting Rahul Gandhi? For many years, even though Rahul spoke of EVMs, Mr. Pawar said it was wrong to raise such doubts,” Fadnavis said, suggesting the revelation was a result of their recent meeting. The Chief Minister defended the electoral process, calling India’s elections “free and fair” and accusing the opposition of avoiding formal complaints to the ECI despite making public allegations.
Pawar’s comments coincided with the Maharashtra Congress’ observance of the 83rd anniversary of the Quit India Movement. During a padyatra in Mumbai, state president Harshwardhan Sapkal and Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi invoked the movement’s spirit to criticize the current government. “Just as Gandhi told the British to quit India, today we must tell the BJP to quit its dictatorial ways,” Sapkal said, turning the commemorative event into a political platform.
