Maharashtra local body elections: NCP (SP) cheif Sharad Pawar slams Mahayuti alliance for ‘money-centric’ campaigning for polls

Nationalist Congress Party NCPSP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday delivered a sharp rebuke to Mahayuti leaders accusing them of running a ldquomoneydrivenrdquo campaign for the Maharashtra local body elections reported the IANSHe alleged that members of the ruling alliance were seeking votes on the promise of funds rather than on the basis of their performanceldquoThere is now a contest over who can offer more moneyrdquo Pawar remarked noting that informal ldquopoll fronts or groupsrdquo had emerged across several districts ldquoVotes are being solicited on the basis of money and funds mdash this is not a healthy signrdquo Pawar saidm according to the IANSHis comments come amid growing controversy over recurring references to development funds by senior Mahayuti figures mdash including Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as well as BJP and Shinde Sena ministers mdash during campaign ralliesThese leaders have openly told voters that development funding would be assured only if their candidates were electedThe dispute intensified after Ajit Pawarrsquos recent speech in Malegaon Nagar Panchayat where he promised generous funds for the town should NCP candidates win warning that areas failing to support the party would be denied assistance His ldquovote for fundsrdquo pitch drew strong condemnation from the opposition which demanded an apology Ajit Pawar later defended himself claiming he respected the Model Code of Conduct and that mistakes could occur in public life but insisted he owed ldquono debtrdquo to anyone despite years of allegations as per the IANSRaising the stakes further BJP Minister for Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Patil told voters in Bhor that despite Ajit Pawar holding the post of Deputy Chief Minister ldquoDevendra Fadnavis is the Chief Ministerrdquo urging them to vote accordinglySimilarly Shiv Sena Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil triggered outrage when during a Nashik rally he proclaimed that the Urban Development Department had ldquoplenty of moneyrdquo and that voters would witness ldquoLakshmi darshan the night before pollingrdquo mdash a remark widely interpreted as a hint at cash inducementsBJP Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule also faced criticism after telling party workers in Gadchiroli not to worry about electionrelated expenses though he later claimed he had been referring only to arrangements at the local BJP office On Ajit Pawarrsquos remarks Bawankule said decisions relating to funds were taken collectively by the top three leaders and finalised by the Chief MinisterSharad Pawar further pointed to growing factionalism within the Mahayuti during the local body polls observing that rival groups within the same party were collaborating with other factions in numerous areasldquoThis is happening for the first time The message is clear mdash there is no unanimity in this electionrdquo he said ldquoVoters will deliver the appropriate verdict in the Panchayat Samiti and other local body polls We have never engaged in such tactics nor will we There are still a few days to go mdash let us see what unfoldsrdquo reported the IANSRegarding the state governmentrsquos decision to suspend croploan recovery for a year following severe rains and flooding Pawar described the action as inadequate While welcoming the suspension as a ldquotemporary reliefrdquo he said farmers required financial compensation interest waivers and reduced instalmentsldquoFarmers have suffered severe losses The government should have offered some monetary support Only then would the relief have been meaningfulrdquo he said the news agency reportedwith IANS inputs