MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday slammed the Mahayuti alliance, saying “they have got together just to enjoy the perks of power.”
“The comments coming from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ‘Batenge to Katenge’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying ‘Ek hai toh safe hai’ and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar coming out and speaking against their alliance partners shows a lot of confusion in the entire ‘Maha-Jhoothi’ Alliance. We have also seen how they have put up candidates against each other. There is no consensus between the three. They have got together just to enjoy the perks of power, and now they know that they are all set to lose. So I would say there is a lot of confusion in the ‘Maha Jhoothi’ alliance, the difference between them is visible,” she said.
Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, PM Modi has raised the slogan of ‘Ek hai to safe hai’, criticising opposition for dividing the people. Meanwhile, posters featuring Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and the slogan “Bantenge to Katenge” have appeared in various parts of Mumbai.
Maharashtra has 288 assembly constituencies, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, which includes the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
As of October 28, a total of 4,426 nomination papers have been filed by 3,259 candidates for the 288 constituencies of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, according to a release from the office of Maharashtra’s Chief Election Officer.
The Maharashtra assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with the votes for all 288 constituencies to be counted on November 23.
The opposition MVA coalition, comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction), seeks to reclaim power in the state, challenging the Mahayuti alliance, which includes Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the BJP, and Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP won 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and Congress 42.