- Ajit Pawar has ruled out any alliance with the BJP after the Mumbai civic elections
- The NCP is contesting the civic polls alone due to the BJP's refusal to accept Nawab Malik
- Pawar has defended Malik, citing lack of proof against corruption allegations
Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, brushed away the possibility of aligning with the BJP after the civic elections in Mumbai. "There is no question of that happening. If there is a direct fight between the NCP and BJP, then either they will win or we will win," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview ahead of the January 15 civic polls.
"We are with Mahayuti in the state. And in the local body elections, we have shown that we want to do this, to solve people's problems," he said, pointing out that the party had controlled the Pune corporation for a decade and has a proven track record.
Pawar's faction of the Nationalist Congress Party -- though a part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra, is contesting the civic elections solo.
The reason is the BJP's refusal to accept corruption-accused Nawab Malik, a senior leader in Pawar's party.
Asked whether he is willing to drop Malik from key roles in the civic election, Pawar refused point-blank. "By making such bad allegations against someone, they are trying to bring down his political career," he said.
Pointing out that there is a "lot of difference between making an allegation and proving it," he said, "Till date, in Maharashtra politics or in the politics of the country, there have been so many allegations against big leaders. But nothing came of it later. Nothing came out".
"Before the inquiry, anyone can make an allegation against anyone. You can also make an allegation against me. I can also make an allegation against you. But it needs some proof... The country runs on laws. So when that matter goes before the court, the court also listens to everything from both the lawyers and then gives a decision," he added.
About the reunion of the Thackeray brothers -- Uddhav and Raj Thackeray -- Ajit Pawar said that was in the cards for long. But asked if it would be of benefit to the Opposition, he replied in the negative, though he admitted that Raj Thackeray's MNS has a lot of support among the youth. Whether it translates into votes is another matter, he said, pointing out that the party failed to win any seats in the last elections.
The other reason why the united Thackrays cannot make any headway, he said, is the dominance of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena, which has a lot of strong councillors. Unlike the state or assembly elections, in civic polls, people vote for a councilor who is responsive and provides a speedy resolution to their problems.
Admitting that a lot of propaganda is going on in this election, be it about religion, caste or region, he said the young people are not concerned about any of it.
"When I talk to them, the young generation says, 'we have no interest in that... we are interested in our job, we want a peaceful environment, the law and order should be good'," he added.
