Won’t take any step that hurts Samajwadi Party, says Pawar on Mayawati’s induction into INDIA bloc  

Sharad Pawar, replying to a query on the induction of Mayawati’s BSP into the INDIA bloc, made it clear that Samajwadi Party was the alliance’s important ally in the Uttar Pradesh and that it would not take any decision that would hurt it.    

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday reiterated that it was not necessary for the Opposition INDIA bloc to announce a prime ministerial face as an alternative to Narendra Modi.

Speaking in Maharashtra’s Amravati district, Mr. Pawar, replying to a query on the induction of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) into the INDIA bloc, made it clear that the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP) was the alliance’s important ally in the Uttar Pradesh and that it would not take any decision that would hurt it.    

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“Mayawati’s role is predominantly limited to Uttar Pradesh. Our important ally in that State is the SP. At the meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders, the Samajwadi Party had a different opinion on this count [regarding taking the BSP into the INDIA bloc]. We have no intention of taking any decision that will hurt the Samajwadi Party,” said the NCP patriarch.

Mr. Pawar further said that he was keen that Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) be inducted into the INDIA bloc and that he had urged the Congress leadership to communicate with Mr. Ambedkar in this regard.

“I myself had urged (Congress national president) Mallikarjun Kharge during a meeting that the Congress should communicate with Prakash Ambedkar and make efforts to go to polls along with him. I do not know whether such a meeting took place or not. It is our wish that we should contest the polls together,” he said.

In response to his nephew, rebel NCP leader and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s recent remark that there was no alternative to PM Modi at the moment, Mr. Sharad Pawar said it was not necessary for the INDIA bloc to project a prime ministerial face before the 2024 Lok Sabha election in order to combat Mr. Modi and the BJP.