Sharad Pawar claims 'Muslim didn't vote for BJP', party comes up with a witty response

BJP in Maharashtra has come up with a witty response to NCP Supremo Sharad Pawar's 'Muslims didn't vote for BJP' claim. It stated that going by the NCP Supremo's statement, during Maharashtra elections, all other sections voted for BJP making it emerge as the largest party in the state with 105 seats; thus, the Sena-Congress-NCP government was a "clear betrayal" of the mandate of the majority of people in Maharashtra.

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Sharad Pawar: 'Minorities decide whom to defeat'

Sharad Pawar during the party's minority cell meeting on Thursday claimed that Muslims did not vote for BJP during last year's Maharashtra Assembly elections leading to the defeat of the Devendra Fadnavis led government. "During Maharashtra elections, Muslims didn't vote for BJP. They voted for parties which can defeat BJP. During elections, the minorities decide whom to defeat. In the state, the change of guard which we are seeing is due to that", said Pawar.

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The Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP was formed in November last year after Shiv Sena switched allegiance and joining the Aghadi, due to which the BJP failed to prove its majority in the State assembly. The allocation of portfolios happened almost two months after the election result. As the three-party coalition government has been formed in the state, rumors had surfaced of internal conflicts among the three parties for having lucrative portfolios. 

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With the help of NCP and Congress, Shiv Sena after the formation of the government in Maharashtra has seemingly been in a fix over retaining its original Hindutva ideology while also somehow moving towards a secular approach in order to keep the alliance partners happy. Moreover, Congress has never considered Veer Savarkar a freedom fighter or a heroic figure, in contrast with what has been epitomized by Shiv Sena in the past. Shiv Sena has until recently been in favor of conferring Bharat Ratna to Savarkar, a thought which has been opposed by Congress time and again.

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Amid this, recently, Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut stated that those opposing Bharat Ratna for Savarkar should be jailed for a few days in Andaman's cellular jail, pointing at Congress for its opposing stand on Savarkar. In order to malign the image of Savarkar, Congress party's grass-root organization Seva Dal in its ten days workshop distributed booklets making several allegations against Savarkar including allegations of Savarkar's physical relationship with Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse which caused a backlash from the Savarkarites.