NCP day dreams of Sharad Pawar becoming PM in ’19

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has four members in current Lok Sabha, is dreaming of party supremo Sharad Pawar becoming the next Prime Minister of India. Senior party leader Praful Patel while indicating that the NCP would go along with Congress in 2019 Lok Sabha poll and said that Pawar stands a good chance of becoming the PM. For Bharatiya Janata Party, its a day dream of NCP and just to enthuse party workers. According to BJP, Pawar and NCP are trying to confuse people by using his relations with BJP and PM Narendra Modi and bring pressure on Congress to withdraw its decision to make Rahul Gandhi as the PM candidate for the 2019 polls.

Patel, while addressing cadres at the party conclave at Karjat in neighboring Raigad district, said, “Pawar had received an offer from the BJP to be part of the government at the centre as well as the state way back in 1999 from the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpeyee. But, he didn’t compromise on principles. Had he accepted the offer back then, he

would have become the de facto number two in the government,” Patel said. Patel made the reference while stressing that the core beliefs of the NCP and the BJP are different and hence the parties won’t come together.

Speculations of the NCP and BJP coming together have been in the air for several days now. Senior Congress leader Patangrao Kadam too had made some oblique remarks in this regard on Sunday. In that reference Patel said that the offers from the NDA have been rejected by the NCP in the past also and in the flow he added that Pawar can become the PM.

“The way politics is changing, anything is not impossible. What you and me and Pawar saheb himself has in mind too is not impossible. That too can happen,” he said.

Madhav Bhandari, BJP spokesperson said, “It is highly impossible Pawar would be candidate of PM in 2019 with support of BJP. Narendra Modi is capable to win the poll on his own charismatic leadership.” “He further said, Even if NCP will win more than 15 seats out of total 48 seats in Maharashtra, there is no possibilities he would become PM.

Ratnakar Mahajan, senior Congress leader said, “Rahul Gandhi would be face of Prime Minister in 2019 and in such situation, even if NCP will go with us, Congress will not support Pawar for PM’s post. Mahajan rejected possibilities of strong Third Front in leadership of Pawar.

“Pawar is not national face and there are doubts in minds of Third Front leaders about Pawar’s politics,” said Mahajan.