Pune, Feb 21 (PTI) Maharashtra NCP president Sunil Tatkare on Wednesday said the ruling Mahayuti alliance will strive to win more than 45 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming elections.

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He hinted that some leaders are interested in joining the Ajit Pawar-led party without elaborating.

"Some (leaders) criticise Ajit Pawar and NCP but there are others who are interested in joining us. Our alliance has the set the goal to win more than 45 seats in the Lok Sabha elections," Tatkare told reporters.

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The Mahayuti alliance comprises Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Nationalist Congress Party.

"The Election Commission allowed us to retain the party name but some invisible power is criticising us, but we won't lose patience. We are fighting a battle of ideology. We will strengthen the party network," Tatkare added.

He said Congress always used minorities as a vote bank.

Tatkare claimed that if Ajit Pawar was not appointed as Deputy CM in 2019, the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government wouldn't have survived.

"The contribution of Ajit dada is more than any other leader. He plays the biggest role in ensuring the party's victory," the NCP MP added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)