BJP's defeat in Delhi signals beginning of change: Sharad Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said the defeat of the BJP in the Delhi Assembly elections signals "beginning of the change".

"The BJP is tasting defeats - be it in the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan or Delhi. In Delhi, the BJP had put all its strength and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigned there," Pawar said at a party workers' meeting here.

"UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and chief ministers of other BJP-ruled states also campaigned in Delhi. But people of Delhi showed that the beginning of change has started," he said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) stormed back to power in Delhi by winning an impressive 62 seats, while the BJP could work its magic only in the remaining eight seats in the national capital.

On the Ram temple issue, Pawar said, "We accept the construction of Ram temple. The way in which a trust was set up for it, there should be a similar body for mosque. The country and the government belong to everyone and every religion".

Noting that the atmosphere in the country was "different" now, the NCP leader lamented, "Those in power are ignoring problems of common man. Uttar Pradesh gave many leaders to the country, so the state has an important role in politics. The state has the capacity to bring the country on the right track".

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel said his party has decided to strengthen its organisation in Uttar Pradesh.

"We have started establishing party organisation at every district and village level in the state," he said, adding people were disappointed by the politics of SP and BSP in Uttar Pradesh, which was capitalised by the BJP and it came to power in the state with a majority.

Patel later told reporters that there was no difference of opinion among the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).