Maharashtra polls NCP leader Bhujbal distances himself from 'Batenge toh Katenge' poll pitch

    Yevla, Nov 18 (PTI) Veteran OBC leader and Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who belongs to NCP, has distanced himself from the BJP's 'batenge toh katenge' poll pitch and asserted that the Mahayuti government will retain power with a good majority.
    In an interview with PTI in Yevla town of Nashik district, Bhujbal also claimed that the Maratha quota agitation, led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil, won't affect the poll outcome in Yevla and Manmad-Nandgaon constituencies.
    Bhujbal is in the fray from the Yevla seat, while his nephew Sameer Bhujbal is a contestant from the Manmad-Nandgaon assembly segment.
    The Bhujbal senior said the Maratha activist visited Yevla on Saturday morning and left well past midnight, addressing a gathering and trying to disrupt my public meetings.
    "It is fine. I know my constituency quite well. It will not have much impact," said Bhujbal, pitted against former ally Manikrao Shinde of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar).
    Bhujbal is confident that several development projects undertaken by him in the region would bolster his prospects in elections.
    He disassociated the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party from the BJP's 'batenge toh katenge' (divided we fall) poll pitch.
    "We have nothing to do with these slogans. Our party has nothing to do with it. I only talk about Vikas (development)," the 77-year-old leader said.
    "Vikas is my caste, Vikas is my religion, Vikas is my party and my language will also be Vikas. I only talk about development and nothing else," Bhujbal added.
    He emphasised that the NCP headed by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar believed in doing justice to all communities without discrimination.
    "In my constituency, there are Hindus, Muslims, Dalits, Adivasis, and Marathas among others. We do not discriminate against any community. Development is our only agenda," Bhujbal said.
    Notably, Ajit Pawar had asserted that the people of Maharashtra do not like the "Batenge...." pitch which may work in north India.
    On Mahayuti's chief ministerial face, Bhujbal said leaders of the three constituents would decide after the elections.
    The Mahayuti comprises Shiv Sena headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, BJP, and NCP led by Ajit Pawar.
    "Anybody can become a chief minister. Be it a Maratha, OBC, or Brahmin. Did anyone ever think Eknath Shinde would become a chief minister? Anything is possible in politics," Bhujbal said.
    Polling for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 and votes will be counted on November 23.
    A veteran politician, Bhujbal is seeking a fifth consecutive term from the Yevla assembly segment where he shifted in 2004.
    Born in Nashik, Bhujbal worked as a vegetable vendor in Mumbai's Byculla market. Inspired by Balasaheb Thackeray, he joined the Shiv Sena in the 1960s. He was elected as Mayor of Mumbai in 1985.
    He went on to win two consecutive terms as MLA from Mazgaon in Mumbai- first on Shiv Sena ticket in 1986 and later as a Congress nominee in 1991 after quitting the Sena.
    In 1996, Bhujbal was defeated by Shiv Sainik Bala Nandgaonkar. Congress sent him to the Legislative Council, where he also served as the Leader of the Opposition.
    Unsure about his future in electoral politics in Mumbai, Bhujbal shifted his base to Yevla, then an under-developed region, after local people expressed a wish for representation by a senior leader.
    Bhujbal is banking on development initiatives taken by him in the region for the upcoming electoral contest.
    "I won the previous elections by a margin of 60,000 votes. This time the margin could increase to 1 lakh on the back of development work carried out in the region," Bhujbal told PTI in Yevla.
    Sharing his experience, Bhujbal said in every election some 50,000 people vote against him. "This time that number will either decrease by 10,000 or increase by 10,000," he added.
    A key highlight of his campaign is the Manjarpada water diversion project that brings the water from a distance of 160 km through a canal to the parched Yevla region and a 12-km tunnel.
    Bhujbal's political rivals are targeting him for "betraying" Sharad Pawar who shaped his political career in a big way, and siding with Ajit Pawar in July 2023.
    "Chhagan Bhujbal had told me he would speak to Ajit Pawar and make him see clearly. He never returned and the next day he took oath as a minister," Sharad Pawar said at a rally here last week.
    The senior Pawar was referring to the split in the NCP last year when Ajit Pawar claimed the support of two-thirds of the MLAs and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government.
    "What ideology is Sharad Pawar talking about? He started the trend of breaking parties and families. He did the 'punya karma' (sacred job) of breaking the Shiv Sena, garnered the support of MLAs and then came to me," Bhujbal said recalling his defection from Shiv Sena in 1991.
    Sharad Pawar toppled the Vasantdada Patil government to become chief minister, he said. Pawar then rejoined the Congress, sensing an opportunity to become chief minister again.
    "You broke the Congress and also the NCP. You also admitted several leaders of the BJP into your party. You have broken several parties as well as families. If we start digging up what happened 30-35 years ago then things would go too far. It is better to avoid speaking of these things," Bhujbal said.
    He said the Manjarpada water diversion project has led to better irrigation facilities for the orchards dotting the region.
    "This has led to prosperity among farmers. This gives me the confidence of posting a larger victory margin," Bhujbal said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)