Pune: Former chief minister and senior Congress member Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday said there was a growing public sentiment against the govt but it did not mean an automatic victory for the opposition, stressing that the party workers would have to work hard to win the upcoming elections.He said, “Though the opposition to the govt is growing, it does not mean that the opposition will win elections automatically. We will have to still contest elections with our full might to win them. If we put in all our efforts, we will ensure victory,” the former chief minister said.Chavan visited Pune a day after the INDIA bloc’s protest march to Supreme Court in Delhi over the SIR row. The former chief minister participated in MVA’s campaign rally in Pune for the MVA’s candidates for graduate and teachers’ constituency polls. NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar addressed the rally virtually and appealed to MVA constituents to work collectively to ensure the victory of the alliance candidates.Chavan referred to protests by the INDIA bloc as well as Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and said, “There is a big shift in public sentiment across the country. The real face of the govt has been exposed and there is a growing sentiment against them. The younger generation especially is voicing its opposition to the govt.”Chavan told reporters after the campaign rally that chief election commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar would not resign despite the opposition mounting pressure on him. “If Kumar resigns, it will be an admission by the Modi govt that the elections were rigged. Therefore, he will try to hold on to the post as long as possible. The longer he stays in the post, the better for the opposition. It will further expose the govt,” he said.Fadnavis to campaign in PuneBJP has decided to focus on issues pertaining to teachers during the teachers and graduate constituencies’ polls, while chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will join the campaign in Pune on Wednesday.BJP’s Kaustubh Gawade is Mahayuti’s official candidate for the Pune teachers’ constituency, while Smita Jadhav has been nominated for the graduate constituency. Fadnavis will participate in the campaign rally for both the candidates in western Maharashtra.Ahead of Fadnavis’ visit, Mahayuti candidate Gawade said his focus would be to address the issues of teachers and relieve them of the unnecessary administrative duties. “I will raise my voice for a government resolution (GR) to curb non-teaching duties for govt teachers so that they can focus entirely on teaching,” he said.
