Pune: Deputy Maharashtra Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar on Friday said that his party in particular, and the MahaYuti in general, suffered badly in the state’s onion growing districts, namely Nashik, Pune, Ahmednagar and Solapur during the Lok Sabha elections due to the issues surrounding the ‘layered edible bulb’ raised by the opposition.
“It was informed to the Centre that a solution should be found to satisfy both the onion producers and consumers. However, due to lack of a satisfactory solution, the grand alliance suffered in Nashik, Pune, Ahmednagar Nagar and Solapur in the Lok Sabha elections,” Ajit Pawar said.
“Many farmers in Jalgaon, Nashik, Pune, Ahmednagar Nagar and Solapur districts produce onions. After the onion issue flared up, there was displeasure among the onion growers. Therefore, we asked the Centre to find a solution that would satisfy both onion producers and consumers. However, due to lack of solution, the Grand Alliance lost seats in Nashik, Pune, Ahmednagar and Solapur except Jalgaon and Raver in northern Maharashtra,” he said.
Ajit Pawar also said that during his recent visit to Delhi to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in, he had already briefed Union Ministers Amit Shah and Piyush Goyal in this regard.
Ajit Pawar’s statement came three days after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that the farm distress had cost the MahaYuti dearly, saying that “Onions made us cry in Nashik, soyabean and cotton in Marathwada and Vidarbha in the Lok Sabha polls”.
Meanwhile, the Deputy CM has denied that senior minister Chhagan Bhujbal was upset over the party’s decision to nominate Sunetra Pawar for the Rajya Sabha by-election.
“This is completely false. Senior party leader Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare have clarified already… also Bhujbal himself has said that he is not upset,” he said.
On the absence of MahaYuti leaders, when Sunetra Pawar filed her nomination on Thursday, Ajit Pawar said that he had already informed CM Shinde about the party’s decision, while another Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis could not make it as he was out of Mumbai.
–IANS
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