BJP, NCP on divergent paths? After Fadnavis' 'vote jihad' remarks, Ajit Pawar's big seat quota announcement for...

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) -- both part of the ruling Mahayuti -- appear to be taking divergent paths ahead of the crucial assembly elections in Maharashtra. A day after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made remarks about 'vote jihad', NCP chief Ajit Pawar announced his party's decision to allocate 10 per cent of its quota of seats to candidates from the minority community.

Addressing the Jan Samman Yatra on Tuesday, Pawar stated, "I want to tell the minority community, we have decided to allot 10 per cent of the seats to be contested by the NCP to minority candidates." The announcement comes after the NCP's recent performance in the Lok Sabha elections, where the Ajit Pawar-led faction lost three of the four constituencies it contested. For assembly polls, seat-sharing has yet to happen among the Mahayuti alliance, which comprises BJP, NCP, and Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. 

Pawar's promise to represent the minority community (primarily Muslims) came just a day after Fadnavis' statements on 'vote jihad'. Fadnavis claimed that 'vote jihad' occurred in 14 out of 48 constituencies during the recent Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra. He attributed the BJP's loss in the Dhule constituency to this phenomenon, stating, "Vote jihad was seen in Lok Sabha elections. In the Dhule constituency, the BJP candidate led with 1.90 lakh votes in five assembly seats. However, our candidate trailed by 1.94 lakh votes because of voting in the Malegaon Central assembly segment, losing the election by just 4,000 votes."

Fadnavis, who also serves as the state's Home Minister, also commented on 'love jihad', alleging that over one lakh complaints had been filed involving Hindu women being lured into inter-faith marriages under false pretenses. He clarified that he was not against inter-faith marriages but expressed concern over cases where men used fake identities to deceive women, later abandoning them after having children. "We have now observed that there have been more than one lakh complaints where Hindu women are lured into marriage by running away with men from different faiths," Fadnavis said at a public event in Kolhapur.

Ajit Pawar also took aim at BJP MLA Nitesh Rane without naming him, criticising leaders who engage in "hate speech". Pawar emphasized his belief in secular values and his respect for Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, and B R Ambedkar. Pawar expressed frustration over inflammatory comments targeting specific communities, hinting at the recent FIRs filed against Rane for alleged hate speech.

In August, Pawar also took a different stand on the Centre's Waqf Amendment Bill. The NCP, he said, will not allow any injustice to Muslims in the Waqf Board Bill. "NCP has decided that if you (Muslims) have any concerns regarding this bill, then we will listen to your concerns. We will not let any injustice happen to minorities" he said while speaking at NCP's Jan Sanman Yatra in Dhule. 

Meanwhile, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar addressed the seat-sharing formula among the Mahayuti alliance partners, stating that the focus was on 80 seats, as the ruling coalition already enjoys the support of 208 MLAs. 

Assembly elections in Maharashtra are expected to be held in November.