NCP in Assembly poll mode, is all set to focus on metros

NCP in Assembly poll mode, is all set to focus on metros

After the drubbing in the Lok Sabha election, especially in the urban areas, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief has asked the party members to now focus in the metros.

FPJ Political BureauUpdated: Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 07:44 AM IST
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NCP may contest all seats in BMC polls |

Mumbai: After the drubbing in the Lok Sabha election, especially in the urban areas, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief has asked the party members to now focus in the metros. The party is trying to change its image from a rural to one having an urban face.

“Go Urban’ was the message by party supremo Sharad Pawar on Monday, the 20th foundation day of NCP. Even after ruling the state for 15 years, the NCP has not been able to strengthen the party in the metro and urban areas of Maharashtra. NCP tried hard to strengthen its base in Mumbai by making Sachin Ahir the Mumbai President, but it has not paid off dividends.

Despite being the housing minister of state in Democratic Front government, Ahir lost in the 2014 assembly election. The NCP had failed to perform well even in the BMC election in 2017.

It has not widened its base in metros like Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and Aurangabad. Urban voters largely do not connect with NCP, as compared to parties like BJP and Shiv Sena.

Parth’s embarrassing defeat in the recent election has been largely due to the disconnect with the urban voters. The NCP has not connected with the urban voters and did not even send campaigners to the cities. This defeat is a wake up call for NCP.

“The image of NCP is that of a rural party. But now 50 per cent of Maharashtra is urbanised. Every block (tehsil) is also urbanised, therefore, we have to focus on urban areas.

We have to fight on civic issues and contest civic polls seriously,” Pawar told the party members at the 20th foundation day programme of NCP organised at Yeshwantrao Chavan Pratishthan auditorium.

He added, “NCP will have to groom and project new and young faces in urban areas. This should be done on priority in municipal election.” Pawar’s message is significant as the assembly election will be held this year.

The 2009’s delimitation of constituencies changed the equation of power in Maharashtra. Till now, whoever ruled in the rural areas was the party which ruled the state, but now the power centre has shifted to the urban areas.

In the 2014 Assembly poll, BJP won 122 seats and the bulk of votes have been from the urban areas. In the Golden Triangle of cities—Mumbai, Pune and Nashik, BJP won 36 of the 77 seats.

In Mumbai alone, the party won 15 seats. Now, the BJP has increased its base in urban pockets and has made inroads into NCP bastion of western Maharashtra, leaving the NCP rather helpless.

The latest salvo fired by Amit Shah, the national BJP president is to break the traditional vote bank of the Congress and the NCP, which clearly means the NCP has a huge challenge ahead.

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