NCP(SP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad, 61, is contesting from Mumbra-Kalwa in the November 20 Assembly polls. He has been winning from this Muslim-dominated seat for consecutive three term since 2009. This time, he is facing a stiff challenge from the Ajit Pawar-led NCP’s candidate Najeeb Mulla. A prominent OBC face, Awhad, who is known as NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s close aide, speaks to The Indian Express about the elections and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)’s prospects, among other issues. Excerpts:

The upcoming Maharashtra polls are different from the 2019 polls. Two major parties have seen splits. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is now with the Congress and NCP (SP). Do you think the voting pattern would also be different this time?

Elections remain the same. The number of parties increasing or decreasing doesn’t matter. What matters is what people think. We (Maharashtra) have lost many industries to Gujarat. Our economy is in doldrums, unemployment and inflation are at an all-time high. Our social justice department has lost everything. Scholarships are not being given to disadvantaged groups. These are the election issues.

The NCP (SP) is contesting fewer seats this time as compared to the then undivided NCP in 2019. Don’t you think it would shrink the party’s footprint?

The context changes in every election. And probably the most experienced man in coalition politics in India is Sharad Pawar… He understands the chemistry of it. He advised us not to ask for more, which could create a little problematic situation between the three parties (in the MVA).

The seat-sharing pact among the MVA partners saw its ups and downs. The Sena (UBT) raised some issues with the Congress.

The seat-sharing is always complicated. Now I don’t want to talk about yesterday, and rather speak about what will happen tomorrow.

But are all three MVA parties content now?

Naturally. And that is why it (seat-sharing) has been sealed.

The Haryana elections saw an “anti-Jat consolidation” which helped the BJP. Congress leaders openly spoke about it. Do you think this could happen with regard to Marathas in Maharashtra?

We don’t play caste politics. I am an OBC. The leadership of the coalition government (Mahayuti) offered something (over quota) which OBCs and Marathas were never going to take. They tried to split them. They polarised the communities. That is what is happening in the state. They have torn the social fabric. Without the Lok Sabha’s nod, they couldn’t give reservation, and they should have known that. But they did all this for the sake of power.

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange Patil has withdrawn himself from the poll arena. Do you think it would make an impact?

I am not his (Jarange Patil’s) spokesperson. People will decide what they have to do. People will vote against Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. People are suffering and that will decide the elections. Only contractors are getting profits. I don’t know where the 50% commission is going, but they have benefited. It is a government by the contractors, for the contractors, of the contractors.

There has also been a debate around the ticket allocation to Muslims. The Ajit Pawar-led NCP has given more tickets to Muslims than your party. Do you think the community’s votes will get split?

What is your (NCP’s) stand on Muslims when your ally BJP says they would enter mosques and attack people. Did he (Ajit Pawar) ever take a stand for Muslims. Secularism is not from what you say, but what you do. Your character is always anti-Muslim and anti-Dalit and anti-OBC. Communal politics will not help our state. It has been the most socially reformed society. Our alliance is one of purpose, while theirs is an opportunistic one to capture power. You must have seen how Nawab Malik has been targeted by the BJP. It shows the true colours of their alliance.

In the Haryana elections, the Congress’s loss was also attributed to its rebel candidates. Do you think Maharashtra may see something similar?

In Haryana, the constituencies were smaller and so was the electorate. The ECI played an important role. It was one of the participants in the election, and everything went towards the right side… We all saw how the voting percentage changed during the Lok Sabha polls almost a week later. How did that happen when EVMs have electronic calculators. How can it increase. You take a calculator and do some calculation, will it change after a week? The ECI is making a joke of things.

Regarding the rebel situation in Maharashtra, I don’t think it will be like Haryana.