Asserting that the NDA will better its record of winning 41 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the 2019 elections despite a strong challenge by the Maha Vikas Aghadi, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said every election is not about political arithmetic and the upcoming polls will be about PM Narendra Modi’s chemistry with the people.
In a wide-ranging interview with NDTV’s Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia on Friday, Mr Fadnavis also spoke about the alliance’s perceived difficulties in seat sharing, infrastructure development in Maharashtra and Mumbai, possible new allies and the shortcomings of the previous government led by former alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray.
At 48, Maharashtra sends the second-highest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha and when Mr Fadnavis was asked about the complicated politics in the state given the split in the Shiv Sena and the NCP, he said, “It is not about factions or groups. There are two camps, one that is with PM Modi and one that is against him. The people have decided to vote for those who are with the PM, irrespective of the party or symbol.”
On why the BJP had declared the names of 20 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections despite reported difficulties in agreeing on seat-sharing with the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP, Mr Fadnavis said 80% of constituencies had been agreed upon and every party was free to announce the names for those.
Emphasising that despite pro-incumbency, the BJP always works with its allies and takes them along, Mr Fadnavis refused to confirm the number of seats each party has decided to contest, citing alliance dharma.
