‘ Aim should be to vote out BJP’

Mumbai: Stating he was “happy” Congress president Rahul Gandhi has made it clear he was not driven by prime ministerial ambitions, Nationalist Congress Party ( NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said the aim should be to vote out the BJP and that any party in the Opposition getting the maximum seats after the 2019 polls could claim the top post.

“Let elections take place, remove these people ( BJP) from power. We will sit together. Whichever party has got more seats can claim the Prime Minister’s post,” said Mr Pawar.

“And I am happy that the Congress leader ( Mr Gandhi) has also said he is not in the race for the Prime Minister’s post,” he said at a party meeting in Mumbai.

Mr Pawar pressed for forging alliances of anti-BJP parties at state level and favoured picking up the Prime Ministerial candidate after the election results, as happened after the 1977 and 2004 general polls.

Raising concerns over the alleged instances of EVM tampering, Mr Pawar asked the Election Commission to revert to using ballot papers during polling.

Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and Ashok Chavan and Nationalist Congress Party leaders Praful Patel and Jayant Patil would discuss seat sharing between the

We ( the opposition) will sit together. Whichever party has got more seats can claim the Prime Minister’s post — Sharad Pawar,

NCP chief

two parties in a week or two, he added.

Mr Pawar’s remarks comes a day after the Congress president said he was not driven by an ambition to become prime minister.

Lok Janshakti Party leader and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday said that there was no vacancy for the post of Prime Minister in 2019.

The united opposition front should start worrying about the 2024 elections, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces no challenge in 2019, he had said.

Mr Pawar recalled how parties came together in a post- poll arrangement to dislodge incumbent parties from power in 1977 and 2004.

In 1977, Congress tasted defeat and non- Congress parties had come together to form government led by Moraraji Desai.

The Congress- led UPA was formed in 2004 after elections against the Atal Bihari Vajpayee- led NDA.