Days after Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena announced its decision to contest the BMC polls independently, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that the "INDIA alliance is only focused on national-level elections."
According to news agency ANI, while speaking about the impending local polls, the former union minister said, "There has never been any discussion on state and local elections within the INDIA alliance. The INDIA alliance is solely for national-level elections. Regarding the upcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra, everyone will decide within 8-10 days, through a meeting, whether we will contest together or independently."
Pawar's statement comes days after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut announced on Saturday that his party would contest all local body elections independently.
"Uddhavji Thackeray has given us a clear indication. From Mumbai to Nagpur, we will contest local self-government elections on our own strength. Whatever happens, we want to see the outcome," the Shiv Sena-UBT leader told the media.
Pawar also expressed his views on the Delhi Assembly elections, stating that, in his opinion, the INDIA alliance should support Arvind Kejriwal.
Pawar reportedly rubbished Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks that the BJP's victory in the Maharashtra assembly polls ended the politics of betrayal and treachery.
"I was the chief minister in 1978. I am not aware about his whereabouts then," Pawar told reporters in Mumbai. "When I was the chief minister, there were people like Uttamrao Patil from Jan Sangh in my ministry," Pawar added.
