Having been the talk of the town for some time, Ajit Pawar on Monday used the dais at MVA’s Maharashtra Day rally to end speculations of rifts in the NCP and also dared the ruling parties to hold long-pending local body polls. “I think they are scared of the outcome, which will definitely be in the MVA’s favour, be it local bodies, the Lok Sabha or the Vidhan Sabha. The people don’t tolerate gaddars (traitors),” Ajit said while addressing the public at the BKC ground.
 
At the joint rally of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Ajit Pawar recalled the struggle for unified Maharashtra that gave the Marathis their self respect. “That self respect is not liked by some people. There is a situation that demands answers about (breach of) law and order, and the Constitution (of India),” the NCP leader said, while accusing the Eknath Shinde government of disturbing the financial discipline of the state. “There is no money to be paid to the contractors or for other expenses” he added.

Ajit, who was mired in controversy over speculations of him splitting the party, stood alongside his party members and the leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), including Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress. Senior MVA leaders were in full attendance at the venue, which was packed with workers of the three coalition partners. The focus, in particular, was Mumbai and the state politics in general at the MVA’s third such event. Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray led a frontal attack on the BJP and Shinde’s faction. He accused the BJP of trying to separate the country’s financial capital from the state of Maharashtra.