Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Tuesday claimed that the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra would deliberately keep the Ajit Pawar-led NCP out of civic poll tie-ups to divide the secular vote. Elections to 29 municipal corporations in the state, including the all-important Mumbai civic body, will be held on January 15. The BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will contest the elections together, while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will not be part of the alliance, Wadettiwar claimed while talking to reporters.
"Ajit Pawar is acceptable to them when it comes to sharing power, but during elections his party is made to contest separately only to split Congress' secular votes. This is a well-planned political strategy and people are aware of it," he said.
He accused the BJP of having double standards, saying leaders like Hasan Mushrif are accommodated as cabinet ministers, but when elections approach, the issue of Nawab Malik is raised to distance deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's party from the alliance.
Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam has opposed Malik as the NCP's leader for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, saying that the BJP and Sena will have no truck with the Ajit Pawar-led party in Mumbai. Wadettiwar alleged that the BJP keeps the Shiv Sena close by pushing the Hindutva agenda while forcing Ajit Pawar to contest independently to ensure vote division. "The BJP cannot win elections without creating Hindu-Muslim polarisation, which is why such controversies surface during polls," he said.
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On Monday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the BJP and Shiv Sena will contest the civic polls together in most places while there will be friendly contests between the BJP and NCP in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Wadettiwar, meanwhile, also questioned the government's claim of providing 27 per cent reservation to Other Backward Classes in local body elections. "Now that municipal elections have been announced, what happens if the matter goes to court again and OBC seats are cancelled? If OBC representation is reduced, who will take responsibility?" he asked, alleging that uncertainty continues to hang over OBC reservation.
On the strategy of the opposition, Wadettiwar said efforts would be made to avoid vote division so that the BJP does not benefit. Decisions on alliances under the opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi combine would be taken by local leaders after assessing local political equations, he added.
The Congress leader also referred to an incident from Brahmapuri in Chandrapur district, where a farmer, Shivdas Kude, allegedly sold his kidney to repay moneylenders. Wadettiwar said he had written to the police seeking an inquiry and demanded immediate action.