Senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat on Friday expressed confidence that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), a coalition that includes the Congress, the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, will successfully form the next government in Maharashtra, reported news agency PTI.
With the counting of votes for the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, November 23, Thorat emphasised that the coalition will not face any challenges in securing a majority.
“We (MVA) won`t have any difficulty in definitely and easily forming the next government in the state,” he stated during a press conference after meeting with key leaders from the coalition, including Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar.
Thorat, who met Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP(SP) leader Sharad Pawar in Mumbai, told reporters, “Our numbers will be so good that we won`t even have to look for the numbers from outside the MVA coalition,” stated PTI.
Thorat is a veteran politician seeking re-election as an MLA for the ninth time, representing the Sangamner constituency.
He is facing a significant challenge from Amol Khatal, a candidate from the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena.
The Sangamner constituency, situated in the Ahilyanagar district, is part of the larger Shirdi Lok Sabha seat, which encompasses several other assembly segments: Akole, Shirdi, Kopargaon, Shrirampur, and Nevasa.
Vinod Tawde sends Rs 100-crore defamation notice to Rahul Gandhi, Kharge
BJP National Secretary Vinod Tawde has demanded an apology from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for making “false and baseless” allegations against him in the cash-for-votes incident in Maharashtra and warned that if the two leaders failed to do so, he would sue them for defamation.
A day before the Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 on Tuesday, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA), a regional party, accused Tawde of distributing Rs 5 crore to woo voters in a hotel in Virar, near Mumbai.
The former Maharashtra Minister claiming innocence, said that the alleged amount was not recovered in the probe by the Election Commission and the police.
Tawde has demanded an “unconditional apology” within 24 hours from the time the receipt of the notice, which was sent on Thursday, and published in newspapers and X.
If they do not offer apology, then Tawde will initiate criminal proceedings under Section 356, which covers defamation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and also civil proceedings for the damages of Rs 100 crore against the three Congress leaders, the notice said.
(With inputs from PTI)
