Won't sit quietly till govt in Maharashtra is changed in next two months, vows Sharad Pawar
Mumbai, Sept 1: NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the opposition won’t sit quietly till the Mahayuti dispensation in Maharashtra is dislodged from power in the next two months and a new government is formed on the ideals of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
Addressing party workers at Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Pawar slammed the state government over the collapse of the statue of the legendary warrior king in Sindhudurg district on August 26.
He said those in power in the state have no “faith” in Shivaji Maharaj. The ruling Mahayuti comprises BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and NCP headed by Ajit Pawar.
“I assure you (party workers) that if you show your unity, then we will not sit quietly till the government in Maharashtra is changed in the next two months and a new government is formed on the ideals of Shivaji Maharaj that will safeguard the interests of people,” Pawar said.
The collapse of the 35-foot Shivaji statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil has triggered a firestorm in the state, with the opposition targeting the Mahayuti for “corruption” and “insult” to the icon.
Besides Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other state leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also apologised over the incident.
Pawar said there are allegations of corruption while constructing the statue but he has no evidence about it.
“But how does a statue collapse? This means the quality of the statue deteriorated. Shivaji had never been insulted the way he was under this government,” Pawar said.
The government says a new statue will be constructed but what about the damage that was done, he asked.
The NCP (SP) chief said “wrong and corrupt decisions” were taken while constructing the statue.
Earlier in the day, Pawar joined a protest march by the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) from Hutatma Chowk to the Gateway of India in south Mumbai over the statue collapse.
Elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly will likely be held in October or November.
Attacking the Centre over the lateral entry scheme, which had triggered a political row recently, Pawar said the one in power won’t safeguard people’s interests.
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LIVE | Election Results of five states 2026
New Delhi: The countdown has begun for the counting of votes for the Assembly elections in five states that have captured the attention of people across the country.
The counting of votes for the Assembly constituencies of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and the Union Territory of Puducherry will begin simultaneously at 8 am, and the fate of candidates in a total of 824 constituencies will be decided shortly.
The counting of postal ballots will take place first, followed by the counting of EVM votes in several rounds.
► In Kerala’s Kasaragod constituency, UDF candidate Kallatra Mahin Haji is leading by 4,177 votes over NDA candidate M. L. Ashwini
► ADMK leader in Tamil Nadu, followed by TVK, DMK takes third spot. PMK, CPI, Congress lead in one seat each
► In West Bengal, TMC is leading in 111 seats, while BJP is leading in 119 seats.
► Vijay’s TVK leading in over 80 seats in Tamil Nadu, emerges as single largest party in early trends
► In Assam, BJP is leading in 71 seats, while Congress is leading in 26 seats.
► Kerala: UDF leading in 21 seats, LDF second, leading in 11
► Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala faces a setback in Kerala’s Haripad constituency
► Thrissur: Congress’ Rajan J Pallan leading with 6,460 votes; CPI candidate Alankode Leelakrishnan second with 5113 votes
► Out of 294 seats in West Bengal, BJP is leading in 109, TMC in 89, Congress in 5, others in one seat.
► DMK candidate in Thiruchirapalli KN Nehru behind TVK's G Ramamoorthi by 292 votes
► The BJP has taken an early lead in West Bengal, while Mamata Banerjee faces tough competition
► TVK head Vijay leads in Perambur constituency
► M. K. Stalin is leading in Tamil Nadu’s Kolathur constituency.
► AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami is leading in Tamil Nadu’s Edappadi constituency
► In Puducherry, BJP is leading in 3 seats.
► In Assam, BJP is leading in 56 seats, while Congress is leading in 12 seats.
► Suvendhu Adhikari leads in both Bhabanipur and Nandigram
► West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee faces setback in Bhabanipur constituency
► Bhupen Borah, who recently left Congress and joined the BJP, is leading in Assam’s Bihpuria constituency
► Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading in Jalukabari constituency
► BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari is leading in West Bengal’s Nandigram constituencyFive-state elections: Postal vote counting begins
► TMC, BJP lead in one seat each in West Bengal
► In Tamil Nadu, DMK leads in 3 constituencies, while TVK leads in 1
► UDF leads in 5 seats in Kerala, BJP in 1, LDF in 1
► BJP leads in 2 seats, AIUDF in 1 in Assam
► AINRC leads in 1 constituency in Puducherry
► TMC leads in 5 seats in West Bengal; Mamata Banerjee’s party maintains initial lead
► Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin leads in Kolathur
► BJP takes early lead in Assam
► Congress-led UDF leads in Kerala
► Tamil Nadu, TVK chief Vijay leads in the Perambur constituency, lags in Tiruchirappalli South
► BJP leads in 10 seats in Assam
► LDF candidate V.P.P. Mustafa leads in the Thrikkaripur Assembly constituency
► Out of 294 seats in West Bengal, BJP is leading in 14 seats, TMC in 12 seats, Congress in 2 seats
► Out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu, DMK is leading in 15 seats, AIADMK is leading in 5 seats, TVK is leading in 2 seats
► Out of 126 seats in Assam, BJP is leading in 31 seats, Congress in 4 seats, AIUDF in 2 seats.
► Out of 30 seats in Puducherry, NRC+ is leading in 3 seats, Congress in 2 seats, TVK in 1 seat.
► Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury suffers a setback in theBerhampore constituency in West Bengal.
