BJP will get ‘unprecedented’ mandate in Maha polls: Fadnavis

PUNE: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday expressed confidence that the BJP will come back to power in the state with an “unprecedented” mandate after the upcoming Assembly polls.

Fadnavis said his ongoing ‘Mahajanadesh Yatra’ has so far covered over 3, 000 km and reached out to over 100 constituencies in the state.

“Wherever we go, the yatra is being welcomed by people and getting a huge response. Looking at the people’s support, we are sure that we will get an unprecedented victory in the Assembly polls,” he told reporters here.

Fadnavis on Saturday visited some tehsils in Pune as part of the third leg of his mass outreach campaign.

Taking a swipe at NCP workers’ protest in Baramati town here against his yatra, Fadnavis wondered if Article 370 (that earlier granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir but was recently a b r o g a t e d ) was imposed in Sharad Pawar’s bastion so as to not allow any other party to hold a rally there.

His remarks came when reporters asked him about some NCP workers’ allegation that police used lathi-charge when they shouted slogans during Fadnavis’ mass outreach campaign in Baramati on Saturday.

The police earlier denied that lathi-charge was used.

“My first question about the protest was how many people were there...there were only seven people, and is there any need for police to resort to lathicharge for seven people?” Fadnavis asked. When police chased them, they ran away, he said.

“I would like to ask them, will it be okay if our party workers create ruckus in public meetings held by Sharad Pawar...is it the way?” he said.

He asked if there was a rule that nobody from other parties should hold a public rally in Baramati. “Is there an Article 370 imposed in Baramati or is Baramati separate from Maharashtra?” he quipped.

Fadnavis said if the opposition parties come to BJP’S strongholds for public meetings, his party would help them.

“What is the problem...ultimately we live in a democracy, and in a democratic system, everybody has the right to hold meeting, but what kind of a way it is that the CM should not enter their (NCP) town?” he asked.