Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024: 'BJP Will Purposely Defeat Sena, NCP's Men', Predicts Mahesh Tapase

To diminish the clout of the Shiv Sena led by CM Eknath Shinde and decimate the NCP led by Ajit Pawar, the BJP may not want both the parties to grow, the NCP(SP) has claimed. The party has predicted that the BJP would ensure the defeat of some of the candidates of the Shiv Sena and the NCP.

The strategy was discussed in a meeting during the visit of BJP national president JP Nadda where the state unit office-bearers were present, claimed NCP(SP) spokesperson Mahesh Tapase.

According to Tapase, this was part of a broader strategy to diminish the Mahayuti allies. He also recalled a past remark from a BJP leader, revealing that Shinde was reluctantly given the Chief Minister's post, underscoring the tenuous nature of the alliance.

He further said, both the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, have held Ajit Pawar accountable for the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, which has resulted in a lack of support for Ajit Pawar's NCP faction within the BJP.

Moreover, the BJP has realised that the votes of Shinde’s and Ajit Pawar’s supporters are not translating into electoral support for BJP candidates.