Pune: The crossover of NCP's Pimpri Chinchwad chief Ajit Gavhane and 28 senior NCP leaders including two former mayors and several corporators to Sharad Pawar's NCP has made Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar realise that he will have to now build the party from the grassroots and ensure that his base in Western Maharashtra stays intact. Pawar has undertaken an extensive tour of Western Maharashtra reaching out to farmers, women and youth in a bid to convince them to vote for him in the upcoming state assembly polls. On Monday, Ajit Pawar held a huge women's rally in Parner in Ahmednagar district where the Mahayuti candidate Sujay Vikhe-Patil lost in the recent Lok Sabha polls and Sharad Pawar's candidate Nilesh Lanke was elected to the Lok Sabha.
Western Maharashtra, which holds 58 assembly constituencies, is the bastion of the Pawar family. Now with the split between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, there is stiff competition between the uncle and nephew for political control of the region. The region has 10 Lok Sabha constituencies out of which the BJP-led Mahayuti could win only four seats and six went to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Now Ajit is going out of the way to capture the region back.
Ajit Pawar, who recently hired a professional election management agency, looked very different, friendly and soft during his speech and interaction with the voters in Parner. “I have come here to communicate with you about the various schemes of the state government which will benefit you. We have gone out of our way to ensure that the financial benefits reach women, especially from the weaker economic sections of society. Our Ladki Behen Yojana will ensure that every poor woman who is eligible will get Rs1,500 per month,” Ajit Pawar said.
The rally got a huge response. Approximately 15,000 women from Ahmednagar district attended the rally. “We will not discriminate based on caste or religion, every eligible woman will get the benefit of all government schemes. In addition, we have decided to provide funds worth the price of three LPG cylinders in the accounts of every eligible woman. Farmers will also get benefits like free electricity for their water pumps,” Ajit said.
