New Delhi: Amid a logjam over government formation in Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar met Congress president Sonia Gandhi here Monday after which he asserted that the responsibility to form the government there is with the BJP and its allies, but kept the guessing game on with a ‘can’t say what will happen’ in the future remark.
Sharad Pawar, who arrived here Monday morning, also said the mandate for the NCP-Congress alliance is to sit in the opposition.
Amid reports of the Shiv Sena, which is playing hardball on the issue of chief minister’s post, making friendly overtures to the NCP, the party supremo said neither the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has sought any support from his party to form the government, nor the NCP has made any proposal in this regard.
The NCP chief said he briefed Sonia Gandhi on the political situation in Maharashtra and they decided that they will meet again in a few days.
“We have not discussed the formation of government, I just briefed her what is the strength-wise position, the NCP, the Congress, and some of the other independents who are ready to help us…,” Sharad Pawar told reporters after meeting the Congress chief for over half-an-hour.
The BJP and the Sena are locked in a bitter tussle over the issue of chief minister’s post, resulting in a stalemate in government formation despite results of the Assembly polls October 24, giving the saffron alliance combined seat strength of 161, way past the 145 majority mark in the 288-member House. In the polls, the BJP won 105 seats, Shiv Sena-56, NCP-54 and Congress-44.
“Last few days we are observing, the Shiv Sena has taken a very strong line against the BJP. They are consistently writing in their mouthpiece against the BJP and they are also consistently demanding that they would like to form the government with the support of the BJP,” pointed out Sharad Pawar.
The NCP supremo also claimed that the mood of the people of Maharashtra is against the BJP now.
“As of today, the numbers are not with us. The mandate the public has given us is to sit in opposition but can’t say what will happen (in future), let’s see,” said Pawar.
“The BJP and their allies have the numbers. And responsibility is on them to form the government. We are seeing what they are doing. We have not talked to anyone. We have not spoken to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. Neither they have given us any proposal, nor we have them any proposal,’ said the 78-year-old leader whose energetic campaign ensured a strong performance by the NCP in the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly polls, belying expectations.
Pawar’s answer was an emphatic ‘no’ when asked the possibility of him coming back as the chief minister of Maharashtra.
PTI