Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) chief Mahadev Jankar today exuded confidence that his party would win "at least 25 seats" in the next Maharashtra Assembly elections and claimed it will decide whether Devendra Fadnavis or Uddhav Thackeray would be the next Chief Minister.
Jankar also said he would defeat incumbent Baramati MP Supriya Sule on her home turf to become an MP in the next general elections.
"My party would win at least 25 seats in the next Maharashtra Assembly elections and we will then decide whether Devendra Fadnavis or Uddhav Thackeray would be the next Chief Minister," Jankar told reporters during his visit to the famous Saibaba shrine here yesterday.
RSP has only one MLA in the 288 member in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
While praising Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis for his "good work", Jankar also apparently took a dig at him without taking name, saying, "If the king has a proper hold over his horse, then it runs properly."
Criticizing the bureaucrats over their style of functioning, he said, "The state Finance Minister (Sudhir Mungantiwar) made a provision of Rs 28,000 crore for the farmers in the state annual budget. However, the bureaucracy is not seen cooperating with the government on the issue."
"Such officials think they are still working under the Congress-NCP government. If our party is voted to power, we will teach these IAS OR IPS officers how to behave and will take action just like former Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati have done."
Jankar, who is an influential Dhangar community leader, said he was studying several aspects of social engineering.
"In Maharashtra 22 per cent people belong to the Dhangar community and even if my party gets two per cent of the overall votes, we can play an important role in state politics," Jankar said.
When asked if he seeks any advice from Sharad Pawar as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had once said, "he used to take advice from the NCP chief", Jankar said he does not want to comment on the PM "but I had never taken any advice from Sharad Pawar in the past, nor will I take in the future.
