Nagpur: State Revenue Minister and Guardian Minister of Nagpur and Amravati districts Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday expressed confidence that the ruling Mahayuti alliance would secure victory in all 17 Legislative Council seats going to polls in Maharashtra.
Speaking to media persons in Nagpur, Bawankule said the seat sharing arrangement among Mahayuti partners had been finalised unanimously by the alliance leadership. Under the formula, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting on 11 seats, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) four seats, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) two seats.
Addressing questions regarding former MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana from Amravati, Bawankule said both leaders are mature politicians and would continue to remain with the Mahayuti despite certain local differences. He added that he would personally hold discussions with them. Rejecting claims of discord within the alliance, Bawankule said seat allocation was based on local political realities and the strength of alliance partners in respective constituencies.
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Responding to allegations made by Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Bawankule said the Congress should introspect on the reasons behind growing dissatisfaction among its own elected representatives. He also criticised the Congress on the issue of women’s reservation, alleging that its failure to fully support the Women’s Reservation Bill deprived women of greater political representation.
OBC reservation
Bawankule said the State Government is awaiting the Supreme Court’s verdict on the issue of OBC reservation. Referring to the court’s earlier observations that reservations should generally not exceed 50 per cent, he said several questions related to upcoming Zilla Parishad elections would become clearer after the judgment.
On the issue of ineligible beneficiaries under the State Government’s ‘Ladki Bahin scheme’, Bawankule said some names had been removed after being found outside the eligibility criteria. However, he assured that such cases would undergo a fresh review by a committee to ensure that deserving women receive benefits. Regarding the BJP fielding candidates who had joined from other political parties, Bawankule said the party believed in maintaining a balance between rewarding loyal workers and providing opportunities to capable and experienced individuals.
Speaking about BJP candidate Dr Rajiv Potdar in the Nagpur Local Authorities Constituency election, Bawankule highlighted his social and organisational work, particularly his contribution in providing free healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bawankule expressed confidence that the BJP would secure a record margin of victory in Nagpur. Bawankule also revealed that discussions had taken place with opposition parties regarding the possibility of an unopposed election in Nagpur. However, he noted that every political party has its own stand and that electoral contests are an integral part of the democratic process.
