Maharashtra Assembly polls 2024: Will AAP contest couple of seats in state? Party’s Goa chief says…

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced it may contest a few seats in next month's Maharashtra assembly elections. Led by Arvind Kejriwal, AAP is part of the opposition's INDIA bloc. In Maharashtra, three constituents of this bloc—Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and NCP (SP)—are competing under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) banner against the ruling Mahayuti alliance.

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Addressing a press conference at Kudal in Maharashtra's coastal Sindhudurg district on Friday, AAP's Goa unit president Amit Palekar said his party is working on strengthening its base in the Konkan belt, particularly in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts, and also in Kolhapur in western Maharashtra, PTI reported.

The party has grown substantially in the Konkan belt, as the local population is looking at alternatives to BJP's Union minister Narayan Rane and his “politics of vendetta”, he said.

"The AAP stands strongly with the INDIA bloc allies for the November 20 Maharashtra elections but if political developments permit, then the party may stake claim on a couple of seats where it is in a winnable position," Palekar said. "There is a lot of pressure from the local party workers in Kolhapur as well as Sindhudurg to field party candidates for the upcoming elections," he said. 

Palekar, who is the party's Sindhudurg district in-charge, said the residents of Konkan were respectful and cannot tolerate Rane family's “language of arrogance”.

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“Clean and honest politics is the need of the hour and only dedicated politicians can do it,” he noted.

Elections for the 288-member Maharashtra Legislative Assembly are set to take place in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23.

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Eknath Shinde became Chief Minister in June 2022 after a split in the Shiv Sena and has navigated various challenges while leading the coalition government. His journey from starting as a rickshaw driver to reaching the highest political office in Maharashtra is considered a remarkable underdog story.

(With inputs from PTI)