Sharad Pawar and Raj Thackeray Exchange Political Barbs in Maharashtra

Sharad Pawar, chief of the NCP, has dismissed calls to declare a chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, emphasizing the need to focus on changing the government instead. Meanwhile, Pawar is actively courting disillusioned BJP and NCP (Ajit Pawar) legislators to bolster his party's position. In a notable shift, Raj Thackeray of the MNS plans to contest independently in approximately 175 seats, criticizing both the current government's welfare schemes and Pawar's legacy of caste-based politics. Thackeray accuses Pawar of fostering political division since the 1970s and claims the current political climate is among the worst in Maharashtra's history. As political tensions rise, accusations of political maneuvering and defection strategies dominate the discourse among the parties ahead of the elections. The Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition, including the NCP and Shiv Sena, continues to strategize for their electoral campaign amidst these challenges.