Maharashtra MLA Aditi Tatkare, who is part of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, on Friday said it is never easy to see two halves of a party but there is no point regretting a decision once it is made.
Talking about the NCP split, which was engineered by Ajit Pawar, Tatkare said he was more a state leader who represented regional politics and, hence, it will be different for their faction in the upcoming assembly elections.
“All the parties have their plans, what matters most is whose plan works. Governance during the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) was stagnant. Our priority is to perform better,” she said during the CNN-News18 Town Hall event in Mumbai.
She, however, said she still has immense respect for Sharad Pawar, who was beyond party politics. “I was brought up in this set up when the party was formed in 1999. I have seen the party growing while I was growing. So, it’s never easy to see the party split in two halves, and then to choose a leader. Since I contested my first election in 2019, it was easy for me as compared to my father (Sunil Tatkare) and leaders of his generation,” she added.
She added: “I’ve seen Pawarsaheb closely and have looked up to him. That’ll always be there and will never change. But, now we’ve chosen our new leader who will lead us.”
Aditi Tatkare, the daughter of veteran politician Sunil Tatkare, further spoke about her conversation with her father about the split. “Once a decision has been made collectively, there’s no point regretting it. Now we’re on a different path, so no point changing anything now,” she said.
‘Ajit dada more prominent in state politics’
Tatkare further said Ajit Pawar is a more prominent face in Maharashtra, and he is also more interested in state politics and decision making. She said, for her party, she is confident that the results of the upcoming assembly elections will be different as compared to a poor performance in Lok Sabha elections.
“Ajit dada has always been more prominent and interested in state politics and decision making. Compared to what we faced in Lok Sabha, we contested on a few seats as we have hardly four; of these, two were difficult. Assembly could be different. People see him as state leadership, so state elections will be different,” she said.
On how the NCP and Sena will contest together, and this could affect the cadre on the ground, she said all elections have their own calculations and narratives.
“In 2019, when I contested election, it was against a candidate from Sena. But I never thought we’ll sit with them in government. But, we made it happen. They all are strong ideologies on their own – NCP, Sena and Congress,” she said.
She added: “But, I personally believe every election comes with its own calculations and narratives. People are more concerned about MLAs as they have day-to-day connection with them. We can’t assume or presume what happened in Lok Sabha will be copy pasted in assembly polls.”
‘Maharashtra a progressive state’
Asked about the pulse of Maharashtra during voting, whether it was caste or sentiment, Tatkare said the state is more progressive and secular in nature. She said while factors like caste and reservation matter, people give more weightage to development.
“Maharashtra is more progressive as a state, and has always been like that. It is more secular. Caste and reservation matter but people give importance to progress and development,” she said.
She added: “How we contest is more important, our priority is to collectively perform better and have more members of the NCP elected to the assembly. It is very early to call who has the edge. We are only few days away from the code of conduct, so things would be clear after that. Voters have decided and analyse, they’re just waiting to vote.”
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