In a setback to Mahayuti, the president of the National Social Party, Mahadev Jankar, on Wednesday announced his decision to exit the ruling alliance and said his outfit would independently contest all 288 seats in the assembly election.
Jankar contested the Parbhani Lok Sabha seat in the last election but faced defeat. Political analysts suggest that he is dissatisfied with the Mahayuti’s allocation of seats for the assembly election.
In a media interview, Jankar emphasised that while he was not upset with any individual in Mahayuti, he believed the NSP should become a significant political force, on a par with the BJP and Congress. He expressed the need to assess his party’s strength and fortune independently in the elections.
He acknowledged Mahayuti’s support in the Lok Sabha election, where the alliance provided a single seat, but stated that the party now seeks to establish its own strength. To gain official recognition, the NSP aims to secure at least 12 MLAs or two MPs.
