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New Delhi: Sharad Pawar, the president of the Nationalist Congress Party (SCP), said on Friday that he had refused Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ plea for support for CP Radhakrishnan, the vice presidential nominee of the NDA, claiming that the latter did not share his beliefs.

Fadnavis contacted Uddhav Thackeray and Pawar, the leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), on Thursday to ask for their support for CP Radhakrishnan, the BJP-led NDA’s nominee for the vice presidential elections. He said that parties that talk about “Maharashtra Asmita” should act on it by supporting the NDA candidate, who is not only the state’s governor but also a Mumbai voter.

What Was Said by Sharad Pawar?

In an interview with reporters in Mumbai, the seasoned leader said that he was unable to support Radhakrishnan. He went on to say that even while they are aware of their vote-count advantage, they still do not think it is acceptable to back someone like Radhakrishnan.

“B Sudarshan Reddy, the opposition contender, has already submitted his candidacy. We are not concerned despite having fewer numbers than the NDA. Reddy will get every vote cast by the opposition. It is aware of its power. “We don’t anticipate any surprises,” he said.

He also accused Radhakrishnan of being responsible for the arrest of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren the previous year. Soren headed to visit Radhakrishnan, the governor of Jharkhand, when he was detained, according to Pawar.

“The NDA candidate does not share our values. A case was brought against Chief Minister Hemant Soren when he was the governor of Jharkhand. Soren was arrested at Raj Bhavan when he went to meet the governor,” he claimed.

“It was an obvious instance of power abuse, and it is inappropriate to expect support for a candidate like that. I thus said that I am unable to comply with the chief minister’s request,” Pawar continued.

What is the position of the Shiv Sena (UBT)?

Sanjay Raut, the leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), said that in addition to Fadnavis, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had phoned Thackeray and urged him to back the NDA candidate.

According to Raut, Radhakrishnan was not selected as a candidate to represent Maharashtra.

“All of the party leaders have been contacted by the CM. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is not the only group he has called. We have a clear position. He told The Hindu, “We are the INDIA bloc.”

Together with the Congress, the NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) form Maharashtra’s opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). At the national level, the three parties are members of the opposition INDIA alliance.

Voting in the crucial election is scheduled on September 9, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The BJP is reaching out to opposition parties to guarantee an uncontested election, even though they have the numbers to win the elections handily.