Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and NCP chief Sharad Pawar during a press conference at YB Chavan Center in Mumbai on Thursday. (Image: PTI/Shashank Parade)
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and the NCP have a regional stronghold and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is luring them into his blistering attack against the BJP to build an opposition consensus against the ordinance to control services in Delhi.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is meeting Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and NCP President Sharad Pawar on a two-day visit to Maharashtra. Both the parties have a regional stronghold and are being wooed by the AAP convenor in his campaign against the BJP to build an opposition consensus against the central government’s ordinance to control services in Delhi.
Pawar extended full support to Kejriwal and said he would help bring other parties together. “I have been in Parliament for 56 years. The biggest advantage is that I have friends across states and parties with whom I have worked.”
But while both Thackeray and Pawar are nationally recognized leaders, their support may be too low in a battle of numbers. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has three MPs in the Rajya Sabha – Anil Desai, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Sanjay Raut. The NCP has four MPs in the Upper House – Sharad Pawar, Fauzia Khan, Vandana Chavan and Praful Patel. TMC chief West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who came out in support of Kejriwal, has 13 MPs. Given the numbers Kejriwal will have to muster, other regional parties will have to come together to strengthen the opposition.
Kejriwal has pitched this fight as the semi-final of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “If the BJP loses it in the Rajya Sabha, Modi will not come to power in India next year,” Kejriwal said in Mumbai.
His party leaders agree that the visit may not mean much in terms of numbers. “But every number counts. We are at that stage. Also, the relationship between Kejriwal ji and Uddhav ji is getting stronger. So this can be seen as the beginning of growing relationship between the two parties.”
After meeting Thackeray, Kejriwal said he has become a part of the Shiv Sena leader’s family and would like to strengthen the bond. “Sharad Pawar ji is a leader of great national stature. He has access to many other national leaders who listen to him. Having him on board would mean a lot for opposition unity,” the AAP leader said.