MUMBAI: With the NCP(SP) being hammered in the recent civic body elections in Maharashtra, its Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule—also party supremo Sharad Pawar's daughter—admitted that the results were shocking while laying a huge part of the blame on the blatant misuse of money power by the rival BJP camp.
The NCP faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the NCP(SP) led by his uncle Sharad Pawar had joined forces for the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal corporation election. But their bid to retain their old bastions came a cropper, with the BJP clinching both prizes.
Surprisingly. Asaduddin Owaisi's Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) won 124 seats in the elections in which the elder Pawar's party won only 36 seats, underlining the extent of the latter's drubbing.
Exclusive interview
Supriya Sule opened up about what she saw as the reasons behind her party's poor showing in an exclusive interview to The New Indian Express.
"The losses are a big issue but we will surely introspect and find out what went wrong and where we failed.
"But politics has changed completely. The use of money has increased manifold. It was not like this earlier. We cannot fight against such blatant misuse of money power in elections. This is not a new charge I am levelling, it's an open secret. Everyone knows how money has been used to influence elections in recent times," Ms Sule said.
"Earlier, in a few pockets, the political parties used to distribute the money. Now, it is being used to win over everyone—from those in the slums to those living in high-rises," she went on to add.
On tie-up with uncle Ajit Pawar's party
Supriya Sule, though, insisted that her party was not planning to shrug their shoulders and give up.
"This cannot remain an excuse for our defeat and losing the election against the BJP though," she emphasised. "We have to find new ways. We have to go back to the drawing board and redesign our strategy."
Ms Sule also refused to confirm if the merger of the two NCP factions was now official.
"We do not know what will happen. We are currently focusing on the District Panchayat elections. But we will continue to have an alliance with the NCP for the upcoming election as well," she said.
"The local leaders of both the NCPs will take the joint call over the alliance. We have to strengthen and energise our cadre at the grass-roots level. We have to go back to the people again," Sule said, adding NCP(SP) as a party with eight Lok Sabha MPs will have to get their act together before the next general elections.
