No season of lotus, MVA will win 180-185 seats: Raut

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition will win 180-185 seats in the assembly and at least 40 seats in the Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.

The Rajya Sabha MP also took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that it is not the "season of lotus".

Lotus is the BJP's poll symbol.

"The MVA will get 180-185 seats in the assembly election and at least 40 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. The MVA will also win in the upcoming elections in 2024. At least 110 seats of BJP will be reduced at the national level," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

"This is not the season of lotus. I don't see any lotus in the market today. There are many other flowers today in the market and you will soon see many others," he added.

He also refuted the speculation of NCP leader Ajit Pawar joining the BJP.

"We said it earlier too that it is a totally false statement, and Ajit Pawar also cleared it today that he is in the NCP. They (BJP) continuously do this with the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress. But the MVA will never go with them," Raut further added.

Earlier in the day, NCP leader and former Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar dismissed "rumours" about switching over to the BJP and emphasised that he plans to remain with the NCP.

"No truth in the rumours spread about me. I am with the NCP and will remain with the party," Ajit Pawar said addressing media persons here.

"I have not taken the signatures of any MLAs. Now, all rumours must stop," the Maharashtra NCP leader said on speculation that he had taken a meeting of MLAs who wanted to switch to the to ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP alliance.