Unease in MVA after Pawar’s remarks on unity for LS polls

Addressing mediapersons in Amravati, Pawar said, “Today we are a part of the MVA and there is a willingness to work together. But desire alone is not always enough. Allotment of seats, whether there are any problems or not; all this has not been discussed yet. So how can I tell you about this?”

Mumbai: Even as they are preparing for a show of strength of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) in the city on May 1, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s remarks expressing uncertainty over the three coalition parties contesting 2024 Lok Sabha elections together has led to unease in the alliance.

Mumbai, India - Dec. 12, 2019: NCP Chief Sharad Pawar meets his party supporters on his 79th birthday at Y B Chavan Centre, Nariman Point in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, December 12, 2019. (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times) (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Pawar, however, on Monday said that his remarks were blown out of proportion by the media.

The NCP supremo on Sunday said that it was difficult to say whether all three parties in the MVA would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections together.

Addressing mediapersons in Amravati, Pawar said, “Today we are a part of the MVA and there is a willingness to work together. But desire alone is not always enough. Allotment of seats, whether there are any problems or not; all this has not been discussed yet. So how can I tell you about this?”

This sparked speculations about the future of MVA, leading to unease in Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), the other alliance partners.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde also used Pawar’s statement to take a dig at MVA and its future. “Sharad Pawar is a senior and experienced leader. He speaks with seriousness and his statements have importance. No one can think and understand what exactly he means. People are free to draw their conclusions,” the CM said.

Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut reacted cautiously, saying that the media was taking a different meaning out of Pawar’s statement. “The MVA is strong. We are holding joint rallies. We are all together. On May 1, we are holding a historic rally in Mumbai. Senior leaders of all the three parties will be present. Sharad Pawar has played an important role in building this alliance. Uddhav Thackeray and Rahul Gandhi are there but Pawar is important and will remain,” Raut said.

After the row over his remarks, the NCP chief said that he is always in favour of the opposition unity and especially of the MVA. He added that no wrong inference should be drawn from his statement as he was merely stating that there was no talk of seat sharing yet.