Athawale, a key alliance partner of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, said the RPI was “ignored” by the BJP.
Union Minister and RPI leader Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday announced that it has snapped alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena, signalling a visible strain in the saffron party-led alliance ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Speaking to reporters, Athawale, a key alliance partner of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, said the RPI was “ignored” as it was not given seats in several cities.
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He said that the BJP only wants to expand itself and there is anger among Republican Party workers. “We were not given seats in many cities, like Nagpur, Amravati, and also Aurangabad…Not a single seat was given to us in Nalasopara. The RPI got one seat in Bhiwandi. Not a single seat was given in Kalyan-Dombivli. So, the BJP has tried to ignore the RPI in many places. The BJP wants to expand its own party, but it needs to consider our party as well…,” he added.
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Citing anger among his party workers, Athawale said his party would contest amicably in 38 places in Mumbai alone. “We have broken the alliance with the BJP and Shiv Sena. We are contesting the elections in Mumbai on our own strength.”
He, however, clarified that his party will continue to supoort the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.
“We will remain with Mahayuti. Leaving aside our 38 seats, we will campaign for the BJP and Shiv Sena candidates in the remaining constituencies and will definitely try to bring the Mahayuti to power. But we have decided to contest friendly elections in 38 constituencies,” he said.
Athwale said that he is already a Minister of State in the Narendra Modi Cabinet but his workers also need something.
“Because of them (party workers), I reached Delhi, got a ministerial position…There was no discussion about giving me a Cabinet post, and even if there had been, I wouldn’t have accepted it…,” he said.
Athwale said that he has spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and told him that the six seats RPI has been given are not the ones he had asked for.
“The Chief Minister called me this morning. I spoke with him. He said RPI had been given six seats. But they are not the seats we asked for… If in two days, we are given some of the seven or eight seats we asked for, there is still time until the withdrawal deadline,” he said.
Asserting that there is still time for negotiations, Athawale asserted that he doesn’t want to separate from the BJP but was forced to take the decision after being ignored in the alliance.
The elections to the 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra are scheduled to be held on January 15.
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