Mumbai, May 1 (IANS): NCP Working President and Rajya Sabha member Praful Patel said on Wednesday that during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, there is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong leadership on one side, and a complete lack of clarity over who would lead the opposition bloc on the other.

‘’The people will vote wisely as they will consider the national issues. The development that has taken place in the country in the last 10 years will be prominently considered by the voters," Patel said during the launch of the NDTV Marathi news channel on the occasion of Maharashtra Day on Wednesday.

At the same time, Patel also asserted that contesting the elections has become more difficult now due to the speed at which wrong things are communicated widely.

"We had to reach the grassroots level earlier and for that, we used to make a lot of effort. However, nowadays it has become easy to reach out to people but while this is happening, fighting elections has become more difficult due to the speed at which wrong things are communicated now," he said.

Patel also said that NDTV Marathi will create a distinct identity as a news channel.

"Maharashtra is developing rapidly. The face of Mumbai has been changed. Vidarbha is also on the path of development. Pune has now become the IT hub of the country. Moreover, students from all over the world come to Pune to study. So it is clear how the state is on a growth path,’’ said Patel.

"The MahaYuti government comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP has a vision for the development of Maharashtra and the welfare of the future generation. We are going with PM Modi's vision. A great revolution has taken place in the country in the last 10 years. The Modi government has lifted 40 crore people out of poverty. Foreign investments are coming to India in large numbers,’’ said Patel, adding that a big outcry follows when a project goes out of the state, but it should be remembered that the project remains in India.