Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that his party BJP has a strategic alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in the state and an emotional tie-up with the Shiv Sena under CM Eknath Shinde.

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said, the BJP is not facing anti-incumbency and they don’t need to target the opposition.

Fadnavis was speaking here at ABP Network's event ‘Ideas of India’ Summit 3.0 on ‘Collaborative Federalism: View of the States’.

Touching upon the dynamics of political arrangements in Maharashtra, Fadnavis, said, “We are in strategic alliance with NCP and have an emotional alliance with Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.” He expressed confidence the Narendra Modi government at the Centre will get the third term. “The BJP does not face anti-incumbency. We don’t need to target the opposition.” Speaking about the government in Maharashtra, Fadnavis said, “Sharad Pawar nominated Ajit Pawar for leading alliance-related talks. Later, Ajit Pawar couldn't back out from the commitments he had made to BJP.” Ajit Pawar and many top NCP leaders walked away from the Sharad Pawar-founded party last year and joined hands with the ruling coalition of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the BJP.

A year before that, Shinde had split the undivided Sena, then led by Uddhav Thackeray, to form the government with the BJP.

“We had treated them as brothers for 25 years. It was Uddhav Thackeray ji who closed all doors,” he said, referring to the severing of ties between the undivided Sena and BJP after the last state polls.

Sharing his views about whether BJP will do better in Maharashtra compared to last elections, Fadnavis said, “There are challenges but we will do better than last two times.” About his change of role, from CM to deputy CM, Fadnavis said, “The agenda that I drove during my tenure as the chief minister, I am able to deliver upon that even as deputy CM.” Fadnavis said the ground cadre of BJP is driven by ideology and not expectations. BJP’s workers are its biggest assets. When Congress workers look at their leaders, they get worried, he claimed.

About assembly elections, to be held in the state this year, Fadnavis said, “The alliance with NCP and Shiv Sena will continue in the upcoming elections. Eknath Shinde is our leader and we will fight the assembly elections under his leadership.” No matter how many parties join hands with the BJP, it is the saffron party’s ideology that matters. “The alliance parties associate themselves with our ideology,” he added.

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