Sharad Pawar has given a pleasant surprise to the Congress in Maharashtra by extending whole-hearted cooperation to the party in the fight against the BJP-led NDA.
While the Congress candidates in Maharashtra are acknowledging the support they are getting from the NCP, workers are confused, saying that have never seen such a positive attitude since 1999.
Recently, Mr Pawar suggested that the Congress leaders be more aggressive. He is addressing meetings for the Congress candidates, inculcating fighting spirit among them. A senior leader of the NCP asked why cannot chief minister Prithviraj Chavan hold a press conference in Ahmedabad to expose Mr Narendra Modi’s claim of development. If the opinion polls have united the Congress-NCP combine, it has made the BJP-Shiv Sena leaders complacent and overconfident of their victory.
After Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar’s pictures are seen prominently on the posters and banners of the Congress nominees. In fact, one can hardly see pictures of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani and Rajnath Singh on posters and banners of the BJP candidates. Barring BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, no one gets space in the BJP’s campaign material. The NCP’s positive campaign may help it more than the Congress, for the simple reason that it could increase the NCP’s numbers in the Lok Sabha this time.
Mr Chavan is the Congress’ face in this “do-or-die” battle. Congress insiders expect his “clean image” to make a dent in the Shiv Sena-BJP’s middle-class constituency and urban seats. This is because the Congress and the NCP have been lacking an urban face in this election.
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Pawar support surprises Cong
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