NCP’s Ajit Pawar's faction to hold ‘counter-rally’ in Beed, days after Sharad Pawar’s public meet

PUNE: The Ajit Pawar faction of NCP on Saturday announced a rally in Beed district on August 27, days after the party patriarch, Sharad Pawar, held a public meeting in the district on August 17.
Sunil Tatkare, state president of the Ajit Pawar faction, said, "We will organize a statewide tour to create awareness about the work this government [led by Eknath Shinde] is doing for the citizens.The tour will kickstart with a rally in Beed on August 27, where drought is a huge concern. The government will employ all measures to find a permanent solution." Political observers see the upcoming Beed rally as a counter to Pawar's recent public meeting in the district.
He said though his party had joined hands with NDA, it would continue to follow its secularist ideology. "If NCP could form a government with Shiv Sena despite ideological differences, why can't we join hands with BJP? We are in the government for the state's development," he said.