Farm leader Ravikant Tupkar arrived in Pune on Tuesday to meet NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, amid speculations of his potential entry into the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Recently, Tupkar also held meetings with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut.
Speaking to the media before his meeting with Pawar, Tupkar said, "All my associates in Maharashtra believe we should form an alliance with the MVA. Uddhav Thackeray invited me to Matoshree to discuss this possible alliance. Now, we are meeting Sharad Pawar. The MVA leaders will make the final decision."
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He added that his team plans to contest 24 Assembly seats independently, covering Vidarbha, Marathwada, Western Maharashtra, and Khandesh. "Youngsters fighting for farmers, who have public support, should enter the Assembly. My associates and workers are urging me to contest from Buldhana," Tupkar said.
However, he clarified that his meeting with the MVA leaders was not to seek a ticket for the elections. "We won’t join anyone unless we are treated with respect and dignity. If not, we have other options before us," he emphasised.
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Earlier this year, Tupkar had a public fallout with his mentor, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana founder Raju Shetti. He also contested the Lok Sabha elections from Buldhana as an independent candidate, securing 2.49 lakh votes, 99,904 less than the winning candidate Prataprao Jadhav of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena. Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Narendra Khedkar came second with 3.20 lakh votes.