'Desire Alone Not Enough': Sharad Pawar On MVA Fighting Maha Polls Together. Raut, Shinde React

Sharad Pawar commented on the possibility of parties in the MVA fighting the Maharashtra polls together and said that there is a willingness to work together and desire alone is not always enough. 

Commenting on the possibility of parties in the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance (MVA) fighting the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls together, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said that there is a willingness to work together and desire alone is not always enough. 

“Today, we are a part of Maha Vikas Aghadi, and there is a willingness to work together. But desire alone is not always enough. The allotment of seats, whether there are any problems or not- all this has not been discussed yet. So how can I tell you about this?,” Sharad Pawar said as quoted by the news agency ANI.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leader Sanjay Raut said that MVA will remain together and the parties in the alliance will fight Assembly election together. "Maha Vikas Aghadi will remain. Its prominent leaders are Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. In 2024, MVA parties will fight (Maharashtra Assembly) election together," says Sanjay Raut, as quoted by ANI.

Reacting to Sharad Pawar’s comments on MVA parties fighting the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls together, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Maharashtra Unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that what Sharad Pawar has said is his personal opinion on MVA and he will soon know if those who are abandoned by their own people can really lead MVA. 

“What Sharad Pawar has said is his personal opinion on Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Pawar sahib will soon know if those who are abandoned by their own people can really lead MVA. There is confusion among its leaders as well as the public about how far the Maha Vikas Aghadi will go,” Chandrashekhar Bawankule said as quoted by ANI.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde also reacted on Sharad Pawar's statement on MVA and said that he is an experienced leader and his comments are important. "He is an experienced leader. His comments are important...Now, anyone can think & understand what they want," Shinde said, as quoted by ANI.

In June last year, Shinde and 39 MLAs rebelled against the Sena leadership resulting in the party's split and collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government (which also comprises the NCP and Congress) led by Thackeray. Shinde later tied-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form the government in Maharashtra. On June 30, 2022, Shinde was sworn in as the CM along with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.