The Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) organized a party executive meeting in Mumbai on Monday. Sunil Tatkare, the Maharashtra chief of the party, addressed the gathering. In his speech, Tatkare candidly admitted that the upcoming Lok Sabha elections were being fought on local issues rather than national ones. He also noted that the opposition might have succeeded in convincing voters that the NDA would change the constitution if it came to power.
"The five phases of the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra have now concluded. This time, we had a different experience while contesting the elections. Since 1999, we have contested all Lok Sabha elections as the NCP. In previous elections, national issues, the overall atmosphere in the country, and the idea of stability were the key factors. However, this time in Maharashtra, we experienced that the elections were fought on local issues," Tatkare said.
"Two major issues were highlighted in this election. Our opponents in Maharashtra primarily focused on these two issues and might have succeeded to some extent. The first issue was the campaign run by our opponents suggesting that if the NDA government returned to power, it would change the constitution. This was used to create divisions among castes and religions," he added.
"The second issue was regarding minorities. There were attempts to instill insecurity in the minds of the minority population. Similar attempts were made within the state. While polarisation may sometimes be inevitable, the welfare of the country should also be considered," Tatkare said.
Despite these challenges, Tatkare expressed confidence that all the party's candidates, including himself, would emerge victorious in the election.
Several state presidents of the erstwhile unified NCP also joined the Ajit Pawar-led NCP during the meeting. The NCP Youth Wing President, Dheeraj Sharma, was among those who joined.
"This is an indication of the future. Even before the results are declared, people are joining our party. It shows what the results will likely be on June 4," said Tatkare.