Sharad Pawar Slams Mahayuti Alliance for ‘Funds-For-Votes’ Offers
Speaking in Baramati, the veteran leader highlighted that votes should be sought for the work a party is doing and not in exchange of funds
Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP–SP) president Sharad Pawar on Thursday alleged that Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti partners were seeking votes by offering money and funds. He said there appeared to be a competition over who could offer more and remarked that soliciting votes on such a basis was inappropriate.
Speaking in Baramati, the veteran leader highlighted that votes should be sought for the work a party is doing and not in exchange of funds. “Instead of seeking votes based on work, votes are being sought through financial assurances. This is not appropriate,” he said.
The senior Pawar’s remarks came on the backdrop of a statement from his nephew and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who heads the rival NCP, who had said that rejecting his party’s candidates in the Malegaon Nagar Panchayat in Baramati could result in withdrawal of funds for the municipal council.
“I will ensure there is no shortage of funds if you elect all 18 NCP candidates. If you elect all 18 candidates, I am committed to give whatever I have promised. But if you reject, I will also reject. You have votes, I have funds,” he said.
Ajit Pawar’s assurances were countered by his alliance partner and the BJP Minister for Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Patil, who told voters in Bhor that “despite Ajit Pawar holding the post of Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis is the Chief Minister,” urging them to vote accordingly.
Without naming anyone, Sharad Pawar said, “It seems there is a competition over who can offer more money. Votes are not being asked on the basis of how much work you have done or plan to do, but on the assurance: ‘I will give you a budget, I will give you money.’ And that’s not a good thing. If winning elections on the strength of money is the only goal, then in that case it would be better to say nothing at all on this issue.”
In Maharashtra, elections for 246 municipal councils and 42 town councils are set to be held on December 2.