"Parties Can Contest Polls From Any Seat, But...": Sharad Pawar

Political parties should first judge and accordingly fight elections from the seats where they have the potential to win, but their being in the fray should not help the ruling parties, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Wednesday.

The former Union minister was speaking during a press conference in Aurangabad. He did not name any particular party.

When asked why no political party is not in a position to contest elections in every part of the state and whether it is a sign of weakening of parties, the NCP president said, "Parties can contest elections from any seat, but they should think why they are doing so." "They should see that by contesting the seats, they are not helping the ruling parties. There are areas (seats) where they have a potential, so focusing on such areas is politically sensible," Mr Pawar said.

"The political parties should make it a point that they contest elections (from the seats) where they hold potential. They must see that they are not helping the ruling parties (by contesting elections from a particular seat)," he added.

Lok Sabha elections are due in May 2024, while the state Assembly polls will be held in November/December that year. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance of the Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP and the Congress, are gearing up to contest the elections together, while Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which currently rule the state, have decided to fight the polls together.

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