Assembly polls will liberate Maharashtra from BJP’s ‘negative politics’: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday called for making a united effort to oust the Mahayuti alliance from power in Maharashtra in the upcoming assembly elections.
He also slammed the BJP, which is part of the Mahayuti alliance along with Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and expressed his commitment to defeating the “enemies of Maharashtra and bring about a positive change”.
The Kannauj MP alleged that the BJP wants to weaken Maharashtra economically, socially and politically, snatch the reins of the country’s economic leadership from Maharashtra and give it to someone else.
Taking to social media to share a note addressed to the “dear” people and media persons of Maharashtra, Akhilesh Yadav said, “With your awareness, the Maharashtra Assembly elections will liberate ‘Maharashtra’ from the BJP’s conspiracies of sabotage and its negative politics of communalism.”
“The BJP’s negative politics is unable to understand the positive strategy and mutual adjustment of the united opposition. The BJP’s conspiracy to slowly destroy Maharashtra’s economy has been exposed before the people of Maharashtra,” he wrote in Hindi on X.
“The BJP has broken the historical harmony and brotherhood of Maharashtra’s society as well as the political parties,” the SP chief alleged. “The ‘political, social and economic consciousness’ that has come among the people of Maharashtra and the media persons who protect Maharashtra’s interests will not allow this ploy of the BJP to succeed,” he said.
“The people of Maharashtra will defeat the enemies of Maharashtra’s honour, livelihood, employment, trade and business. The tainted and treacherous allies of BJP will be defeated. BJP’s mega-corruption did not spare even the statues of great men,” Yadav further wrote.
“Political patronage was given to those who violated the honour of girls. The combined power of the aware and progressive people of Maharashtra will defeat both the fraud and hypocrisy of BJP,” he alleged.
“It is hoped that the impartial media persons of Maharashtra endowed with a sense of responsibility will also play their traditional glorious role of the fourth pillar of democracy and will not only stop any kind of misleading BJP propaganda from being broadcast, propagated and published but will also refute it out loud,” Yadav said.
“The efforts of all such true news-opinion channels, YouTube channels and journalists are commendable, who, despite not being well-equipped, are continuously exposing the ‘anti-Maharashtra politics of BJP’ with their indomitable courage,” the former UP chief minister said.
“A joint and organised political strategy will end the ‘Mahadukhi’ period of the BJP-led ‘Mahayuti’. Committed and determined to defeat the enemies of Maharashtra and bring about positive change….”
The SP, which had won two seats in the last Maharashtra assembly polls, is eying a bigger share in the seat-sharing talks with its alliance partners.
SP’s Maharashtra unit chief Abu Asim Azmi had earlier said his party was seeking 12 seats from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). Now, the SP has asked for five seats from MVA, people familiar with matter said. Despite this, the MVA named Anil Gote of the Shiv Sena (UBT) from Dhule city seat.
The SP chief had sought this (Dhule) seat from MVA and not getting it is the main reason for his unhappiness with the seat distribution by the MVA, those familiar with the matter said.
Initially, the seats which SP sought from the MVA included Shivaji Nagar, Bhiwandi East, Bhiwandi West, Malegaon, Dhule, Anushaktinagar, Aurangabad East, Byculla, Versova and a few more.
Azmi has already announced on X that his party has named four candidates, including two from the seats on which it already has lawmakers.
The candidates that the SP has named in Maharashtra include Abu Asim Azmi from Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar, Rais Shaikh from Bhiwandi East, Riyaz Azmi from Bhiwandi West and Shan-E-Hind Nihal Ahmed from Malegaon.
Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will be held on November 20 and counting will take place on November 23.