The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced that it will contest some seats in next month's assembly elections in Maharashtra. Led by Arvind Kejriwal, AAP is part of the opposition's INDIA bloc. In Maharashtra, three members of this bloc – Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP) – are fighting under the banner of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) against the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Addressing a press conference at Kudal in coastal Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, AAP Goa unit president Amit Palekar on Friday said his party is working to strengthen its base in the Konkan belt, especially in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri, and also in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, PTI. reported.
The party has grown significantly in the Konkan belt as locals are looking for alternatives to BJP's Union Minister Narayan Rane and his “politics of vendetta”, he said.
“The AAP is strongly backing the INDIA bloc allies for the November 20 Maharashtra elections, but if political developments allow, the party can claim a few seats where it is in a winnable position,” it said Palekar. “There is a lot of pressure from local party workers in Kolhapur and Sindhudurg to field party candidates for the upcoming elections,” he said.
Palekar, who is in charge of the party's Sindhudurg district, said Konkan residents were respectful and could not tolerate the “arrogant language of the Rane family”.
“Clean and fair politics is the need of the hour and only committed politicians can do that,” he noted.
The elections to the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be held in a single phase on November 20, with counting of votes scheduled for November 23.
Eknath Shinde became chief minister in June 2022 after a split in the Shiv Sena and has faced several challenges while leading the coalition government. His journey from starting as a rickshaw driver to reaching the highest political office in Maharashtra is considered a remarkable underdog story.