Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, suggesting that his party should aim to secure at least one seat in the forthcoming Lok Sabha Elections. The senior BJP leader also issued a challenge to Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar, urging him to ensure his daughter Supriya Sule's victory in the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency, which she presently represents.
Mahajan's comments were in response to Thackeray's remark on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent visits to Maharashtra; Thackeray suggested that the PM visited the western state frequently due to BJP's dread of losing the elections. PM Modi will be in Yavatmal on Wednesday to inaugurate several development projects.
Speaking to Marathi news channel ABP Majha in Yavatmal, Mahajan said, "PM Narendra Modi is not only visiting Maharashtra today, but he is visiting a total of three states in a day. Whatever Uddhav Thackeray has said...only naive people can trust his words. I challenge him that his party wins at least one Lok Sabha seat." "We have already given a clarion call of winning more than 400 Lok Sabha seats. If a cat wears the skin of a tiger, it does not make her a tiger...I also challenge Sharad Pawar to ensure the victory of his daughter Supriya Sule from the Baramati Lok Sabha seat," the Rural Development Minister said.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in which Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Congress are partners. The undivided Shiv Sena had won 18 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections. Of them, only five members support the Thackeray faction, while 13 others are with the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.