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By Ritvick Arun Bhalekar: The BJP was out to eliminate its 30-year-old ally, the Shiv Sena, during the 2019 Assembly election, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has claimed in his upcoming autobiography. The reason was that the BJP was convinced that it could not gain prominence in Maharashtra unless Shiv Sena’s existence was downplayed in the state, Pawar claimed.
In the second part of his autobiography, ‘Lok Majhe Sangti‘, Sharad Pawar made startling revelations about the simmering anger in the Shiv Sena against the BJP post the 2019 assembly polls. The expose on what led the Shiv Sena to split from the BJP and form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) amid rumours of political turmoil, sent ripples in political circles.
According to reports, the book puts on record that in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena contested 171 seats, while its ally, the BJP, contested 117 seats in the polls. However, the BJP was eager to get power on its own in 2019 and without the Sena.
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Hence, the saffron party demanded to contest on more seats – 164 of them, leaving 124 for the Sena in 2019. The BJP was overconfident of winning a majority and getting power, further eliminating Shiv Sena, claimed Sharad Pawar.
Also, the BJP rubbed salt on the Sena’s wounds by merging Narayan Rane’s Swabhiman Party with it, Pawar wrote. Rane is seen as a traitor by the Shiv Sena.
Interestingly, the BJP fielded and supported rebel candidates in nearly 50 constituencies against the Shiv Sena. It was an attempt to damage the Sena by decreasing their numbers to have an undisputed claim on power, Pawar said.
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The BJP also had a strategy to hit where it hurts more. Right from the 2017 Mumbai civic polls, the BJP started concentrating on urban areas like Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Navi Mumbai, Mira Road-Bhayander, Vasai-Virar municipal corporations, where the Sena enjoyed clout, Pawar said.
Due to this, the rift between the BJP and the Shiv Sena kept widening, which was “a positive signal for us”, stated Pawar. Also, the body language of PM Narendra Modi and then BJP president Amit Shah did not seem to be sympathetic towards the Sena, Pawar observed.
The second part of the much talked about autobiography will be inaugurated at the YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai tomorrow.
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