Athawale's Republican Party of India demands council seat from BJP in Maharashtra
May 05, 2020
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 5 : Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (RPI) has demanded a Legislative Council seat in Maharashtra from its alliance partner BJP.
"RPI has been with BJP since 2012. I have written to Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrakant Patil. We are demanding one MLC seat for RPI," Athawale told ANI.
Elections to the Legislative Council in Maharashtra will be held on May 21 in Mumbai.
The Union Minister said that RPI remained with BJP even when Shiv Sena broke ties its long-term alliance partner after 2019 Assembly polls and joined hands with NCP and Congress to form the government in Maharashtra.
He also said that the proposed International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) should be established in Mumbai.
"IFSC centre should remain in Mumbai, which is the financial capital of India. The decision should be reconsidered. We will discuss it with PM Modi," Athawale said.
Earlier, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called the recent decision taken by the Centre to establish the proposed International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) Authority in Gandhinagar instead of in Mumbai as "egregious, erroneous and unwarranted".
