Summary:
Congress and the NCP are relying on the Maratha strong man Sharad Pawar to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi's charisma and strategy of party president Amit Shah in the assembly polls scheduled on October 21. Jitendra Awhad, the NCP leader said that Sharad Pawar is the big brand in Maharashtra. Senior Congress leader on condition of anonymity said that in Maharashtra, there is no big leader with the stature of Sharad Pawar. "In Lok Sabha polls, the NCP won four seats while the Congress won only one. In 2014, the Congress and the NCP fought the election separately therefore our secular votes got divided..