Pune (Maharashtra) [India], November 20 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP candidate from Baramati Assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar on Wednesday expressed confidence in winning the assembly polls, saying that he trusts the voters will send him to the Assembly for the eighth time.
Speaking to ANI, Ajit Pawar said, "We have done the work, we want to work and we have the vision for future developments. I have faith in the voters of Baramati that they will make me victorious and send me to the Assembly for the 8th time."
Pawar said that the next chief minister of Maharashtra will be decided in a meeting by all the elected MLAs of Mahayuti.
"We will have a meeting with all the elected MLAs of Mahayuti and then we will decide who will be the Chief Minister," Pawar said.
Amid allegations by IPS officer Ravindra Patil that NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule and Congress state chief Nana Patole funded their campaigns with money linked to the Bitcoin scam, Pawar assured that an investigation will be conducted to uncover the truth.
"An inquiry will be done and the truth will come in front of the people," Pawar said.
One of the most anticipated battles in these elections is taking place in Baramati. Where Ajit Pawar is contesting Yugendra Pawar, the son of his younger brother, Shrinivas Pawar.
Baramati also drew attention in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Sunetra Pawar challenged Supriya Sule, who ultimately won by a margin of 1.5 lakh votes.
Voting began at 7 am on Wednesday for the single-phase of Maharashtra assembly elections and will conclude at 6 pm. Polling is taking place across 288 assembly constituencies.
Shifting alliances, ideological conflicts, complex caste dynamics, and emotional appeals have characterised the battle for power in the Maharashtra Assembly. The primary contest is between the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance and the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance includes the BJP, Shiv Sena, and the Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction), while the opposition MVA comprises the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).
In the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena secured 56, and the Congress won 44. In 2014, the BJP claimed 122 seats, Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.