As the Maharashtra Assembly elections approach, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has stepped up its campaign with the slogan 'batenge toh katenge' (If we are divided, we are lost), aimed at invoking Hindu unity. However, Ajit Pawar, a prominent Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and alliance partner of the BJP in Mahayuti, has strongly opposed the slogan, claiming that it will not resonate with the people of Mahayuti.
Ajit Pawar's response to the BJP's campaign slogan
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar stated that he did not support the slogan, which was echoed by BJP leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra leader Devendra Fadnavis.
“I've said this several times. It won't work in Maharashtra. This could work in UP, Jharkhand or other places,” Pawar shared India today.
The slogan, first introduced by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Yogi Adityanath in the wake of anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, has become a central element of the BJP's campaigns in Maharashtra.
Ajit Pawar, who will contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2024 from Baramati, emphasized that the focus in Maharashtra should be on development. “We should focus on 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' and not on divisive politics,” Pawar said. India todaydistancing himself from the polarizing narrative of BJP.
'Batenge toh katenge' faces backlash
The BJP's slogan has drawn criticism not only from Ajit Pawar but also from the Opposition, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing the BJP of promoting divisive politics. The Congress, in particular, has condemned the slogan as an attempt to pit one religion against another.
Ajit Pawar, seven-time MLA and former deputy chief minister, pointed out that Maharashtra's political culture is shaped by figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj and Mahatma Phule, who stood for unity and social harmony. “You cannot compare Maharashtra with other states; the people of Maharashtra do not like this,” Pawar said in response to CM Adityanath's meeting.
Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024: A new battle
In this year's Maharashtra Assembly elections, scheduled for November 20, the Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde) and Ajit Pawar's NCP, will take on the Maha Vikas Aghadi, to which Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena belongs. , Sharad Pawar's NCP and the Congress.
The elections have become even more important amid divisions within regional parties, with Ajit Pawar and his uncle, Sharad Pawar, leading separate factions of the NCP.
For Ajit Pawar, this election is personal as he faces his uncle's faction and the bigger challenge of acquiring his leadership skills. Despite the recent split, Ajit Pawar has maintained that his decision to part ways with Sharad Pawar was not a mistake. “I didn't leave him. All the MLAs wrote to him and he gave his consent,” said Ajit Pawar Hindu.
The Maharashtra Assembly elections, the first since the vertical split between the Shiv Sena and the NCP, will be a defining moment for the state's political future. Ajit Pawar's NCP will contest 56 of the 288 constituencies and the results, to be counted on November 23, will determine which faction emerges dominant.