Maharashtra Pawar play yields no headway
Multiple high-profile meetings in New Delhi and Mumbai on Monday, including one between NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, failed to give any indication of breaking the 11-daylong deadlock over government formation in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met Union home minister Amit Shah, who is also the BJP president, in New Delhi and later said there is need to form a government in the state at the earliest. However, all eyes were on the Pawar-gandhi meeting in the national capital amid talks of realignment of political forces and intense speculation over possibility of a non-bjp government, perhaps headed by the Shiv Sena, in Maharashtra.
However, Pawar did not give any sign of his party changing its “we will sit in opposition” stand in Maharashtra, which is waiting for a new government more than a week after announcement of poll results on October 24.
After his meeting with Gandhi, the 78-year-old Maratha strongman, a former Congress leader, ruled out any possibility of him returning as Maharashtra chief minister and said those who have numbers should come forward and form the government.
“I have observed that the Shiv Sena is consistently criticising the BJP as they want to lead the government in Maharashtra. I informed Congress chief about the situation and ground reality in Maharashtra. I am returning to Maharashtra and will hold talks with my party colleagues,” he said.
“We will hold discussions and decide the future plan of the party in Maharashtra. I will come back to Delhi in next couple fo days and will hold talks with Sonia Gandhi again,” Pawar told reporters in the evening.
Asked if the NCP is considering supporting the Shiv Sena in government formation, Pawar said no one from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party has contacted him over the issue. “No one from Shiv Sena has contacted me on this. The mandate for
“NO ONE FROM SHIV SENA HAS CONTACTED ME ON THIS. THE MANDATE FOR US (NCP) IS TO SIT IN THE OPPOSITION. WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH NUMBERS TO BE IN THIS RACE”
SHARAD PAWAR, NCP chief
us (NCP) is to sit in the opposition. We do not have enough numbers to be in this race,” he said.
Asked whether the Sena is playing the NCP card to get a better bargain with the BJP in government formation, Pawar said, “I do not see it as a bargain game. Whatever is happening between them is quite serious one.” The former Union minister expressed his disapproval of imposition of President’s rule in Maharashtra, as suggested by a senior BJP leader, if there is no government in place by November 9 when the term of the current assembly ends.
“I do not think President’s rule should be the option. Those who have got mandate and numbers should come forward and form the government. Maharashtra is facing the problem of excess rainfall, which should be addressed at the earliest,” Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, said.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had earlier said his party has support of some “175 MLAS”. Asked whether Raut has included NCP MLAS among them, Pawar sarcastically said, “I have not spoken to the Sena leadership. May be a larger section in BJP has extended support to Raut.”
Fadnavis, who officially met Shah to seek central relief for farmers hit by unseasonal rains, said the new government would be formed “soon”, but did not mention if the Shiv Sena will be a part of the new dispensation. “There is need to form the government in Maharashtra at the earliest... I am sure, I am confident that the government will be formed,” Fadnavis said.
“Neither I nor anyone in the BJP will make any comment regarding ‘others’ talking about government formation.” The first BJP chief minister of the state, also separately called on Union minister and senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari.
Another meeting took place in Mumbai, where Raut called on Governor B S Koshyari. The Sena is not creating any hurdles in formation of a government, he said after meeting the governor. Whoever enjoys majority should be allowed to form government, said Raut. “We informed the governor that the Shiv Sena is not responsible for the current political situation in the state over formation of new government.”