Kolhapur: Amid rains, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar addressed an election rally in Ichalkaranji in Kolhapur district on Friday.
The rally held near Ghorpade auditorium, brought back memories of Sharad Pawar, who had addressed a rally in the Satara district of Maharashtra for Lok Sabha a by-election.
Pawar received applause for addressing the rally for about fifteen minutes amid the rains. The voting for the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly will take place on November 20, while the counting of votes will take place on November 23.
Political experts said that this rally could be a game-changer for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which also comprises Congress and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and is aiming to come to power in Maharashtra.
Pawar came to address the meeting at around 2.15 pm and then it started raining. However, Pawar, who is now 83 years old, continued his speech undeterred.
During the speech, NCP candidates Ganpatrao Patil, who is fighting the polls from the Shirala Assembly seat, and Madan Karande, who is fighting the polls from the Ichalkaramji Assembly seat, stood beside Pawar.
Pawar, a former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Union Minister said that there is no relation between rain and him.
"However, since it started raining while I was speaking, the results will be in our favour," said Pawar, who hails from Baramati in Pune district.
Three NCP (SP) candidates are contesting the Maharashtra Assembly Elections from Kolhapur district. Pawar earlier addressed a rally in support of a candidate Rohit Patil, the son of late Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil, who is contesting the polls from the Tasgoan-Kawathemahakal Assembly constituency and then came to Ichalkaranji.
Senior BJP leader and former Maharashtra Minister Vinod Tawde took a dig at Pawar over his rally. "The person who decides and plans the rallies of Pawar sees the weather forecast first," Tawde said.
"It is a myth that where Pawar addresses a rally and it rains, the NCP (SP) candidates win," quipped Tawde, a former Leader of Opposition of the Maharashtra Legislative Council.
