Ajit Pawar, the leader of his NCP faction and deputy chief minister in the Mahayuti government, faces a critical moment in his political career as the Maharashtra elections approach. After his party’s poor showing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where it secured only a single seat, his uncle and mentor Sharad Pawar is now preparing to challenge his dominance in the Assembly polls.

The NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar has fielded his nephew Yugendra Pawar (Ajit’s brother’s son) against Ajit Pawar in Baramati — the deputy CM’s stronghold.

In an interview with The Telegraph at his Pune residence just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in the city, Ajit Pawar made it clear that the polarising “katenge toh batenge” slogan of the BJP would not find acceptance in Maharashtra.

Q. How important is this election for you and what are your main issues?

Ajit: This election is very important for me because for the first time the responsibility of the party lies with me. Our party has put up several candidates and we are striving our best to bring the Mahayuti back to power. I am confident we will form the government and get more than 175 seats (out of 288). We have launched effective schemes for all sections like farmers, women and the youth. We are giving financial support to poor women cutting across caste and creed.

Q. What has changed since the Lok Sabha polls in which the Mahayuti’s performance was very poor?

Ajit: In the Lok Sabha polls, the Opposition set a fake narrative. They questioned the need for 400-plus seats when a government can be formed with 272. ‘With 400-plus seats, the NDA can change the Constitution, end reservations. They can do anything, they can even turn the country into a Hindu rashtra, give voting rights only to Hindus.’ Fake narratives like these were run by the Opposition. The minority community was scared that the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) could be used to send them to Pakistan.

Then, the issue of onions. Onion is cultivated in a big way in Maharashtra and the central government has stopped its export. This angered the farmers. Now, we have started exports and the farmers are happy. Also, then (during the Lok Sabha polls) there was an acute shortage of water, but now all that is over because of a good monsoon.

The Ladki Bahin scheme of providing cash support of ₹1,500 per month to over 2.5 crore poor women has become very popular. We have also provided incentives to farmers on electricity bills and apprenticeships to the youth to help them get jobs. With all these initiatives, we are confident of securing the people’s trust.

Q. You are talking about fake narratives scaring the minorities, but in this election the key BJP leaders have been raising polarising slogans such as ‘batenge toh katenge’ and ‘ek hai to safe hai’. What do you have to say?

Ajit: Look, I have made it very clear that batenge toh katenge Maharashtra mein chalne wala nahi hai (will not work). Maharashtra is the land of Shiv, Sahu, Phule, Ambedkar, (Chhatrapati Shivaji, Sahu Ji Maharaj, Mahatma Phule and Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar). Our party is wedded to this ideology and we will remain so till we are in politics.

This slogan may work in north India but not in the south. By south I mean the entire region comprising the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

See, in Karnataka (during the last Assembly polls) they (BJP) raised the slogan of ‘Bajrangbali’. Didn’t they? What was the result? They lost the elections. Aisa nahi chalta, north ke log alag soch wale hain, south ke log alag soch wale hain (Such things don’t work, people from the north and the south think differently).

Q. Have you raised this issue with the BJP leadership?

Ajit: No, no. But I have opposed this publicly. I have said it in my public meetings. Now, ek hain toh safe hain. This is okay. We are with sabka saath, sabka vikas. We are all one, that means all Indians areone. The slogan ek hain toh safe hain can be interpreted as this but katenge toh batenge is not acceptable.

Q. Coming to the split in the Pawar family. What led you to part ways with your mentor Sharad Pawar and split the NCP?

Ajit: See, I didn’t part ways with Saheb (Sharad Pawar). Saheb had told me and others too that now he was getting old and so he wanted to retire and somebody should take the responsibility of the party. Then, all the legislators of the NCP took the decision that we should join the (BJP-Shiv Sena) government (After this, Ajit Pawar split the NCP and joined the BJP-Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) government).

This decision was taken because in 2019, too, (when the Shiv Sena refused to support the BJP because the party was not being given the chief minister’s post), it was decided under the leadership of Saheb that the NCP would form the government with the BJP. But after some time, Saheb changed his mind and said that now we should go with the Shiv Sena. In 2017, he refused to join hands with the Shiv Sena because of ideological issues but in 2019 he decided to go with the Sena. I was stunned. What is this? The ideology of the Shiv Sena and the BJP is the same.

Q. Is there a possibility of the two factions of the NCP coming together? Because I heard people in Baramati saying that Pawar Saheb and Ajit Dada would come together after the polls.

Ajit: At present, my mind is focused on the elections. Till 6pm on November 20 (polling day) my mind is occupied with how to bring back the Mahayuti government and I don’t want to distract my mind with anything else.

Q. Has the Mahayuti finalised any formula for selecting the chief minister?

Ajit: Nothing. All the elected MLAs will sit after the results and decide.