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Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Baramati constituency, the pocket borough of Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, falls under the Bharatiya Janata Party's "mission Maharashtra".
He also said the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the BJP will jointly contest the upcoming elections to the Mumbai civic body.
Speaking to reporters at Nagpur airport, Fadnavis said, "The BJP has (formulated) mission India and mission Maharashtra. As Baramati is in Maharashtra, it obviously comes under mission Maharashtra," he said.
Fadnavis was replying to a query on Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekar Bawankule's visit to the Baramati constituency.
Bawankule has said the BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena combine will win the Baramati constituency, currently represented by NCP's Supriya Sule, in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections along with 45 of the total 48 constituencies in the state.
Fadnavis, who also handles the Home portfolio, said there is no need to compulsorily display the photos of social reformers Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule in the state secretariat in Mumbai as they live in the hearts of the people.
"There is no need to make it (displaying of photos) mandatory as I feel Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule live in the hearts of the people. However, as government offices run on rules such orders are issued many times. I feel Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule command immense respect in the country," he said.
Queried on speculation that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will fight the Mumbai civic polls together and the BJP separately, Fadnavis said such talk is like kite flying.
"The BJP and the original Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde will fight the Mumbai civic polls together and will hoist the saffron flag atop the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation," he added.
The BJP has launched a programme to reach out to every voter in the 16 Lok Sabha constituencies, including Baramati, in Maharashtra to expand its base and win them in the next elections, Bawankule had said.