Pune: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale Pushes for 10-12 Seats for RPI in Maharashtra Assembly
Pune, 11th July 2024: Although the Republican Party of India (RPI) did not get to contest any seats in the Lok Sabha elections, it played a pivotal role in campaigning for parties in Mahayuti. Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale has demanded that his party, RPI should get at least 10 to 12 seats to contest in the upcoming Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, which would increase the BJP’s challenge as they strive to contest the maximum number of assembly seats.
Ramdas Athawale made these remarks during a press conference held at the Government Rest House in Pune. The event was attended by Pune city president of RPI, Sanjay Sonawane, state organizer Parashuram Wadekar, former deputy mayor Dr. Siddharth Dhende, Balasaheb Janrao, Mahendra Kamble, Ayub Shaikh, Srikant Kadam, and Satish Kedari of the Shramik Brigade.
Minister of State Ramdas Athawale stated, “While our party was expected to secure two seats in the Lok Sabha elections, we maintained our composure and continued our efforts. We have engaged with Devendra Fadnavis and requested a seat in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. We now demand inclusion in the upcoming cabinet expansion and insist that the Republican Party be allocated 12 seats in the assembly elections. Our workers deserve respect and opportunities in state-level, district-level, and taluka-level committees.”
Athawale also predicted that the Mahayuti would secure between 170 to 200 seats in the Legislative Assembly. He dismissed the effectiveness of caste-based issues in the upcoming elections, contrasting it with the Lok Sabha elections where opposition attempts to sway Dalit and minority voters through misinformation failed.
Addressing community concerns, Athawale appealed to both the OBC and Maratha communities to pursue their rights peacefully without conflict. He advocated for the Maratha community’s rightful claim to the reservation, noting the Maharashtra State Government’s decision to grant 10% reservation. He suggested that Maharashtra should consider a reservation model similar to Tamil Nadu’s, which divides OBCs into two categories of 50%, allocating 30% and 20% respectively, to accommodate Maratha reservations without affecting OBC reservations. Athawale assured that his ministry would consider any proposal from the Maharashtra state government regarding these reservations, including the proposal to increase the income limit for Marathas from 8 lakhs to 12 lakhs, currently under consideration by the Government of India.
