Mumbai: Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar visits Siddhivinayak temple with NCP leaders

Pic/NCP

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday offered prayers at the Siddhivinayak temple in Mumbai along with NCP leaders including Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare, reported news agency PTI.

According to PTI, Ajit Pawar told reporters it was a good start to seek blessings of the deity to commence the campaign for the forthcoming state assembly elections, to strengthen the party and go to the people with the agenda of development.

A rally is being organised on July 14 at Baramati in Pune district where the Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) future course of action will be spelt out, Ajit Pawar said, reported PTI.

The deputy CM was accompanied by his son Parth Pawar, NCP parliamentarians Sunil Tatkare and Praful Patel, MLAs Anil Patil, Dhananjay Munde, Dilip Walse Patil and other party legislators.

Ajit Pawar and his entourage travelled in a bus to the Siddhivinayak temple from the party office near Mantralaya (state secretariat).

Notably, the state legislative council elections for 11 seats are scheduled on July 12 and two NCP candidates are in fray.

Asked if all nine candidates of the ruling Mahayuti will get elected, Ajit Pawar said, "Efforts are on in that direction," reported PTI.

The Mahayuti comprises the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP and NCP.

A total of 12 candidates, including three from the opposition parties, are in the fray for the biennial polls to 11 seats in the legislative council.

The rival NCP (SP) has claimed many MLAs of the Ajit Pawar-led faction are in touch with it and will shift their allegiance back to the NCP founder Sharad Pawar after the state budget is passed.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are due in October.

In July last year, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar led a rebellion against his uncle Sharad Pawar and claimed the 'clock' symbol as well as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) name, citing the support of more than two-thirds of the outfit's legislators in the Maharashtra assembly.

The EC later allotted the "man blowing trumpet" poll symbol to the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar.

After the Lok Sabha poll results, Maharashtra NCP (SP) president Jayant Patil claimed the similarity between the election symbol of his party and that of an independent candidate, who had the 'tutari' (trumpet) symbol, confused voters, resulting in his party nominee's defeat in the Satara parliamentary constituency.

(With inputs from PTI)