Amit Shah challenges NCP chief, asks BJP workers to wrest Sharad Pawar's bastion Baramati

Feb 9 (AZINS) A day after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar hinted of contesting Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah today asked his party workers in Pune district to work towards winning Pawar's stronghold Baramati seat.

"If we win less than 45 seats in Maharashtra, it will not be called as a victory. I want my party workers to win me 45 seats from the state and to achieve this number, we have to win Baramati seat," Shah said on Saturday. Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule is the present MP from Baramati.

Shah was in Pune to address the party's booth committee members from Baramati, Shirur and Pune constituencies of Lok Sabha. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP state president Raosaheb Danve also present at the seminar.

Baramati Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 48 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Maharashtra state in western India. Sharad Pawar's own district where it has been extremely difficult for parties to fight back his family in winning Baramati seat. Taking on Pawar in his own district, Shah appealed his party workers to work hard in winning Baramati. Asking his party workers to work hard in winning 45 Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra, Shah said, "Make sure that not a single seat goes to people who encourage corruption. Our alliance should not get less than 45 seats in the state."

Shah also criticized Pawar over his performance as agriculture minister during the UPA government. "I challenge Sharadrao to come out in public and give figures of how much of farmers' produce the government bought during UPA's tenure and how much it has been bought during Modi's tenure. If you talk about farmers, then give these figures to farmers," he said.

Shah also slammed the mega-alliance stating that there is no such thing called mega-alliance. "They all are leaders from their own states whom our party has defeated in 2014 elections," he said. Taking a dig at West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee over a tussle between Trinamool Congress and BJP, Shah said, "Mamata didi did not allow our choppers to land or did not give permission to our rally citing law and order situation. However, an intelligence bureau officer is caught in a sting operation saying that there is no issue of law and order but Mamata is scared of us."

Shah also took on the SP and BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh where he said, "No matter whoever forms an alliance there, BJP is prepared to go all out in UP. In fact, we will be taking our tally in UP from 73 to 74 in this election."

Shah also reiterated that BJP is committed to its promise that grand Ram temple will be constructed at the same place in Ayodhya.