Thane, Nov 3: NCP (SP) leader Jitendra Awhad has claimed that Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu would withdraw their support from the BJP-led Centre if MVA is voted to power in Maharashtra.

The sitting MLA from the Mumbra-Kalwa assembly constituency, who has been renominated by his party, targeted the Ekanath Shinde government over the state’s “financial instability” and accused the BJP and RSS of trying to disrupt peace in the country.

If the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) forms the government after the November 20 assembly elections, BJP’s allies at the Centre Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu will stop backing it, he claimed at a rally at Mumbra near Thane on Saturday.

Once back in the saddle, MVA will “provide monthly financial assistance of Rs 3,000”, said Awhad without elaborating. The BJP-led Mahayuti government cannot even meet essential expenses like police salaries, he said.

Awhad said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who triggered the acrimonious split in the NCP last year, had alienated his uncle and party founder Sharad Pawar from the activities of the outfit. He also accused Ajit Pawar of “straying towards RSS ideologies”.

The BJP-led Mahayuti government has failed in curbing communal violence in the state, he claimed and slammed CM Shinde for sharing the stage with religious leader Ramgiri Maharaj, accused of making objectionable comments against Islam.

Three-term MLA Awhad faces NCP's Najeeb Mulla in the Mumbra-Kalwa constituency.

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Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.

Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.

Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.

According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.

He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.

He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.

Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.

He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.

Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.

He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.