Sharad Pawar played ‘Bhishma’ role in Maha: BJP MLA

In the run-up to Maharashtra government formation with the stage now set for anointing Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister, BJP lawmaker Jagdambika Pal on Wednesday said the credit goes to NCP chief Sharad Pawar whom he dubbed as Bhishma Pitamah – a venerated character of Hindu epic Mahabharata.

The senior BJP lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh’s Doomariyaganj, said that government formation would have been “impossible” task for the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi troika of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress if Sharad Pawar was not there.

“Sharad Pawar played a role of Bhishma Pitamah. If he would not have been there, they (Sena-NCP-Congress) could not even think of forming government in

Maharashtra,” Pal told IANS.

He said that the newly minted coalition of the three parties post elections will last as long as “Sharad

Pawar is there”.

Responding to question why BJP formed government in Maharashtra on Saturday staking claim of majority if it does not have the required number of MLAs, Pal said: “We did not go to form government. It was NCP’s Ajit Pawar who approached us (BJP).”

“We also did not invite NCP. Ajit Pawar had come with a letter signed by 54 NCP MLAs,” Pal said.

The BJP leader said his party had earlier declared that it would not form the government as it does not have a majority, it was Ajit Pawar’s move which led us to stake claim of forming government in the state with the swearing-in of the NCP leader as Deputy Chief Minister and BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as CM, the most short-lived government in Maharashtra which survived just 80 hours since the oath taking on Saturday 8 a.m.

The pre-poll alliance between Sena and BJP fell apart on the back of issues like - seat-sharing arrangement and the chief ministerial position.

If he would not have been there, they (Sena-NCPCongress) could not even think of forming govt in Maha: JAGDAMBIKA PAL