Pawar, Thackeray stress on opposition unity at national-level

At a dinner organised for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders hours after the Pune by-election results, both the leaders indicated that they will discuss the issue with other opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, to hold an all-party meeting in Delhi in March end or early April, according to information

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar have decided to make efforts for the unity of opposition parties at national-level.

Mumbai, India - Nov. 26, 2019:Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar during meeting of Shiv Sena , NCP and Congress alliance at Trident hotel, BKC in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, November 26, 2019. (HT PHOTO)

At a dinner organised for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders hours after the Pune by-election results, both the leaders indicated that they will discuss the issue with other opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, to hold an all-party meeting in Delhi in March end or early April, according to information.

NCP state unit president Jayant Patil had organised the dinner on Thursday evening. Pawar, Thackeray, Congress state unit president Nana Patole, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, leader of the opposition from both houses of the state legislature Ajit Pawar and Ambadas Danve were present.

All leaders expressed their happiness over the victory of MVA candidate from Congress Ravindra Dhangekar in Kasba Peth Assembly bypoll. According to them, the unity of the opposition was the reasons for the defeat of BJP and rebel candidate from MVA affected Chinchwad bypoll result.

Pawar and Thackeray both stressed the need for unity among MVA constituents in the state and all opposition parties in the country. Pawar echoed Thackeray by saying “all opposition parties should unite to fight with BJP, otherwise 2024 would be the last election under democracy in the country.”

It was decided that both the leaders will hold discussions with all opposition party leaders in the country, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Reddy and Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.

Recently, after the Election Commission of India (ECI) verdict allotting Shiv Sena name and symbol to Shinde faction, Thackeray appealed for unity of all opposition parties in the country to fight against BJP.

He also stressed on the need of maintaining unity among the MVA parties for the general elections scheduled for next year. He said the MVA coalition has the capacity to take over all the strongholds of the BJP in Maharashtra if they remain united.

According to MVA insiders, Thackeray also said they need to be prepared to compromise on seats when it comes to seat sharing in the alliance to maintain unity. He did not fail to criticize the former ally and said that the BJP is like a pest which eats those who stay with them.

“We all need to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections together. We also should be ready to compromise on seats in the seat sharing formula in order to ensure three parties contest the general elections as a force,” Thackeray said.

He also cautioned the allies—Congress and NCP—saying that if they did not contest the polls together then they would not get the desired results in the general elections. “It could be our last election,” Thackeray.

Pawar, who is known as the architect of the MVA, also voiced the same and said that the people have rejected totalitarianism in the bypolls. “The bypoll results have cleared the outcome about what will happen when we will remain united and when there is a rebellion,” he said pointing out their victory in Kasba Peth seat and defeat in Chinchwad.