Sharad Pawar asks Shiv Sena, BJP to respect mandate

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday reaffirmed his stand that his party will sit in Opposition. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena should come together to form the government, said the NCP leader, adding that ‘you never know what will happen tomorrow’. He indicated that the uncertainty over the government formation is still intact.

Amidst the impasse, there have been talks that the Sena will form the government along with the NCP and outside support from the Congress. Mr Pawar, however, ruled out any possibility of a partnership saying Sena has been in alliance with the BJP for 25 years, and they “will come together sooner or later”.

“Where is the question of a Shiv Sena-NCP government? The BJP and Sena have been together for the last 25 years so they will join hands again,” he said.

“The people have given us the mandate to sit in the Opposition. The NCP didn’t cross the 100 mark...So what else can we do? We will work as a responsible opposition,” Mr Pawar said.

Reiterating that Saffron alliance should form the government, he said, “There is only one option. Both the BJP and Shiv Sena should end their dispute and form the government as they have people’s mandate. They should not allow the state to slip in a constitutional crisis.”

The NCP chief also made it clear that he has no intention of becoming the chief minister again. “I have been a chief minister four times and I’m not keen on that post again,” he said.

Asked if the state Assembly polls have changed the perception that BJP chief Amit Shah ensures formation of government in a state whether or not the party has majority, Mr Pawar said, “If he is an expert, then like you (the media), we are also waiting to see the skills of the expert.”

Mr Pawar’s remarks came soon after a meeting with senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday morning. Mr Raut termed the meeting as ‘courtesy call’, but it raised speculations that Sena might be trying to stitch new equations in a bid to form the government in Maharashtra.

Mr Raut said, “Mr Pawar is a senior leader of the state and the country. He is worried about the political situation in Maharashtra. We had a brief discussion regarding it.”

According to sources, Sena might seek support from the NCP if talks with the BJP bear no fruits. The Sena has been insisting on equal sharing of Cabinet portfolios and the chief minster’s post for two and half years. The BJP, however, is not ready to abandon its claim on the top post.

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Yashomati Thakur also visited the NCP chief. “There is only one person who can solve the political crisis in the state, that is Mr Pawar,” she said.