Sun Dec 08 04:45:25 UTC 2024: ## Pawar Urges Opposition Unity After Maharashtra Election Rout; Fadnavis Responds

**Mumbai, [Date]** – Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar urged the Maharashtra opposition to remain united and focus on holding the ruling BJP-led coalition accountable despite their significant defeat in the recent assembly elections. Pawar, speaking at a press conference, acknowledged the opposition’s loss but emphasized the lack of public enthusiasm for the election results, suggesting a reservoir of resentment that the opposition can tap into.

He highlighted the disparity between votes polled and seats won, citing examples such as the Congress winning only 15 seats despite receiving 80 lakh votes, compared to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, which won 57 seats with 79 lakh votes. Similar discrepancies were noted for other parties, including Pawar’s own NCP.

Pawar downplayed the Samajwadi Party’s departure from the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, stating that the party’s central leadership supports opposition unity. He also addressed the issue of appointing a Leader of the Opposition, stating that the opposition currently lacks the necessary number of MLAs to qualify. However, he cited a historical precedent from the 1980s where his party, despite having only six MLAs, held the position through rotation.

Pawar also called for a probe into a cash incident in the Rajya Sabha involving a large sum of money found near Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s seat.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responded to Pawar’s comments on X (formerly Twitter), urging him to accept defeat and engage in introspection. Fadnavis countered Pawar’s vote-seat analysis by providing Lok Sabha election data, highlighting that vote share does not always translate to proportional seat wins. He cited BJP’s own performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an example of this.

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