Rohit Pawar alleges BJP sidelining allies, flags cracks within Mahayuti

NCP SP leader Rohit Pawar on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP claiming that recent statements made by leaders within the Mahayuti alliance during the municipal council elections have exposed growing internal discordPawar said the remarks indicated that political decisions were being driven by narrow selfinterest adding that the BJP had begun ldquorevealing its true coloursrdquo with its allied parties appearing to endorse or remain silent on the developments hellipmdash Rohit Pawar RRPSpeaks December 16 2025He also criticised the Chief Ministerrsquos announcement made shortly after the election schedule was declared that the Mahayuti would not contest the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad civic polls together According to Pawar the decision reflected the BJPrsquos tendency to marginalise even its own partnersldquoEarlier allies were ridiculed and now one of them has been conveniently sidelinedrdquo Pawar said describing the situation as a result of ldquounrestrained political ambitionrdquoHe warned that if such an approach continues it would not be surprising to see a political scenario in 2029 where the BJP is pitched against all other partiesRohit Pawar alleges BJP poaching MLAs from Mahayuti ahead of 2029 pollsEarlier the Sharad Pawarled Nationalist Congress Party NCP SP leader Rohit Pawar alleged that the BJP was systematically poaching MLAs from the ruling Mahayuti allies in Maharashtra including Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawarled NCP ahead of the 2029 electionsAccording to the PTI while addressing a press conference Rohit Pawar said ldquoBJP is breaking Ajit Pawars MLAs one by onerdquoHe further claimed that several MLAs from the Eknath Shindeled Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawarrsquos NCP are likely to switch to the BJP before the next state pollsCiting internal discontent Pawar pointed to recent actions by ruling party members He mentioned Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad who had raised concerns about over one lakh bogus voters in his Buldhana constituency Despite repeated complaints Gaikwad alleged that the district collectorrsquos office failed to act or update the electoral rollsAs per the PTI he also criticised NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap who recently urged people to buy Diwali items only from Hindu traders a statement that aligned with the BJPs narrative Though Ajit Pawar reprimanded him Jagtap remained unapologetic Pawar addedRohit warned that both Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar may soon find themselves struggling to stop what he called the BJPrsquos vote theft strategyWith inputs from PTI