Maratha quota issue, Oppn's preparedness for LS and assembly polls figured in Pawar-Thackeray meeting: Raut

The political situation in Maharashtra arising out of the Maratha quota demand and the Opposition’s preparedness for the next year’s Lok Sabha and state assembly polls were some of the issues that Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar discussed during their meeting held a day ago, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said on Wednesday. Talking to reporters, he said the meeting between Sena (UBT) chief Thackeray and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Pawar took place at the latter’s residence ‘Silver Oak’ here on Tuesday, and lasted for over one-and-a-half hours.

”Congress leaders were not present for the meeting since they are busy with election campaigns in the five states. Uddhavji and Pawar saheb discussed the political situation in Maharashtra after the agitation over Maratha quota demand and the stand that the opposition needs to take,” he said. If the assembly elections in Maharashtra are held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, what should be the strategy of the opposition and its seat-sharing formula was also discussed, the Sena (UBT) MP said. The final meeting will be held in Delhi, he said, adding that there is no disagreement among the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies and everything will be finalised smoothly, he said. The MVA comprises Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress. The three parties (when Shiv Sena and NCP were undivided) were in power in Maharashtra from November 2019, but the dispensation led by Uddhav Thackeray collapsed following the rebellion by Eknath Shinde in June 2022.

Shinde and 39 other Sena MLAs joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with Shinde becoming the chief minister. NCP leader Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs of his party joined the Shinde government in July this year.