Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar Saturday said that there was nothing wrong with the Shiv Sena’s demand for 50:50 sharing of power.
Mr Pawar said, “In the 1990s, there was a 50:50 formula between the Sena and the BJP. They do have past experience in running the government and sharing power. So, if the Sena insists, there is nothing wrong in that.”
The Sena’s Manohar Joshi was the state chief minister from 1995 to 1999.
Mr Pawar’s comments come in the wake of the Sena demanding equal sharing of power.
However, the NCP chief made it clear that forming the next government was not an option for the party and it would sit in the Opposition as mandated by the people.
When asked if the NCP was exploring the option of supporting the Sena to form the government, Mr Pawar said, “That is not an option before us. The people have asked us to sit in the Opposition. We have accepted that mandate.”
On the other hand, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that it was up to the Sena to decide if it wanted a five-year chief minister or wait for the BJP’s response over sharing the chief minister’s post for two-and-a-half years each.
Mr Wadettiwar said that if the Sena’s proposal came to them, they would discuss with the high command.
Mr Wadettiwar said that the Sena should take the initiative to form the government and come forward for an “alternative arrangement”.
“We have been given the role of the Opposition and we will do that. But, if any alternative is to be discussed, the Sena should come to us and they have not approached us yet,” he said.
“The mandate for the Congress is to sit in the Opposition. But to stop the BJP, we need to come together. The Sena has to come forward as the popular mandate was against the BJP,” he added.
Mr Vadettiwar however made it clear that the Congress had not initiated any discussion with the Sena.
Meanwhile, Maharash-tra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat met Mr Pawar at his residence in Baramati.
NCP MP Supriya Sule and the party’s newly-elected MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed, Rohit Pawar, were also present on the occasion.
Mr Pawar will attend the meeting of newly-elected NCP MLAs on October 30 in Mumbai, where the MLAs will elect the party’s leader of the house.
NCP sources informed that the decision on the Leader of the Opposition will be taken after the government is formed in the state.
State NCP chief Jayant Patil, Jitendra Awhad and current Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde are in the race for the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, sources said.
