If Polls Held Now, We Will Win Over 180 Seats: Maharashtra Opposition Leader

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of his party, Congress and the NCP will win at least 40 Lok Sabha and 180-185 Assembly seats in Maharashtra if elections were held now.

At the national level, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will lose at least 110 seats, he claimed.

"This is not the season of `lotus' (BJP's election symbol). I do not see any lotus in the market today. There are many other flowers in the market and you will soon see many others," Raut said.

About the speculation surrounding NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Raut said Pawar had clarified that the reports about his imminent exit from the party were false.

There could be an Operation Clock (NCP's poll symbol), Operation Torch (poll symbol of Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena) or hand (Congress symbol) as well, and anything is possible in politics, he said.

Opposition has in the past termed the BJP's alleged attempts to poach legislators from other parties as `Operation Lotus'.

Rumours were spread about Ajit Pawar "purposely" but now a "full stop" has been put to them, Raut said.

Those in power are now on shaky ground, and hence they are trying to create confusion and disturbance in the MVA, but there would not be any rift in the alliance, he said.

Asked about Ajit Pawar expressing displeasure over his earlier comments about the NCP's internal issues, Raut said, "We are the guards of the MVA and saving the alliance is our duty."

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