Congress has entrusted the responsibility for the assembly elections on individuals from Karnataka and Telangana and they would bring in hundreds of crores of rupees into Maharashtra from these states, alleged Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) secretary and chief spokesperson Kiran Pawaskar in a sensational statement.
He said a petition will be submitted to the Election Commission to seal the borders of both states. He was speaking at a press conference organized at Balasaheb Bhavan.
Pawaskar further stated that there will be a flood of money in Maharashtra's elections. Funds are flowing into the Maha Vikas Aghadi not just from Karnataka and Telangana, but also from foreign countries. He emphasized the need to investigate these funds, adding that a petition will be submitted to the Election Commission for this purpose.
“In the previous Lok Sabha elections, money had flowed into Maharashtra from these same two states, which impacted the Mahayuti. Therefore, sealing the borders of Karnataka and Telangana is necessary,” he asserted. He criticized that small amounts are being shown as seized while the big loot is sent straight to the homes of MVA leaders and candidates
Pawaskar also took a sharp jab at the Shiv Sena (UBT), saying, "Hindutva icon Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology, Marathi identity, and the relationship with the Marathi people have been completely abandoned by the UBT (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction”.
“They have even failed to maintain family ties by fielding a candidate against Amit Thackeray, son of MNS chief Raj Thackeray who is contesting from Mahim."
He remarked that the attitude of Sena (UBT) is “me and my family, let the rest go to hell", while pointing out that even Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi haven’t given the Sena (UBT) a meeting in the last eight days, which has stalled seat-sharing talks.
Pawaskar praised Raj Thackeray, saying that he has always presented his views candidly without any selfish political ambitions or greed for power and money. He commended Raj for not fielding a candidate from his family in Worli during the last election to preserve family ties, whereas Amit Thackeray contested in this one, and the Sena (UBT)’s leadership failed to return the courtesy.
Pawaskar criticized Sena (UBT)'s leadership for their “failure” to uphold relationships, respect Marathi people, and preserve Balasaheb's ideology. He lashed out, stating that the Sena (UBT)'s sole focus is on securing power—how to become the chief minister and ensure that his son becomes a minister—while everyone else can be disregarded.
Talking about Mahim constituency, Pawaskar said that sitting MLA Sada Sarvankar has worked effectively in the area and has significant influence, as he is also the chairman of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust. Therefore, there will be a competitive fight between MNS and Shinde-led Shiv Sena. Pawaskar urged voters to support CM Eknath Shinde's work over the past two and a half years and said that such efforts will continue if voted back into power.