Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that it was not guaranteed whether or not Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will return for a fourth term at the centre. Gadkari said this while teasing his cabinet colleague Ramdas Athawale over his ability to hold onto his cabinet spot across multiple governments.
"It may not be guaranteed that our government will return for a fourth term, but what is definitely guaranteed is that Ramdas Athawale will become a minister," Gadkari said on Sunday an event in Maharashtra's Nagpur, according to a report in NDTV.
Athawale, leader of the Republican Party of India (RPI) - an ally of National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has served as a minister three times and expressed confidence in continuing his streak if the BJP returns to power.
Gadkari, veteran BJP leader, is Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways in the PM Narendra Modi cabinet.
Athawale said his party RPI (A), which is also an ally in the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra, should get to contest on at least 10 to 12 seats in the upcoming assembly elections. He said the RPI-A will contest the election on its party symbol and ask for three to four seats in Vidarbha, including north Nagpur, Umred (Nagpur), Umarkhed in Yavatmal and Washim.
Maharashtra assembly elections are most likely to be held in November. Though the election schedule is yet to be officially announced, preparations by political parties are in full swing as polls could be held in the second or third week of November. The term of the current assembly will last till the end of November.
In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant.
The BJP failed to win a majority in Lok Sabha in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, unlike two previous terms. It had to rely on its NDA allies to form the government at the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
