Pawar asks party workers to be ready for snap polls in Maharashtra

Moneylife Digital Team 18 November 2014

Sharad Pawar who declared unconditional support to BJP soon after the election verdict for stability, has said that having a stable government in Maharashtra is not his party's responsibility

Sharad Pawar, the Maratha strongman and president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday asked his party workers to be prepared for snap polls in Maharashtra considering the political situation in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Maharashtra is a minority government and its chief minister Devendra Fadnavis just about managed to win a confidence vote. However, Shiv Sena, the main opposition party had clarified that it will not allow the Fadnavis government to become unstable.

The NCP president, while addressing his party's two-day meeting at Alibaug in Maharashtra's Raigad district, said, "We have to be ready to face snap polls in Maharashtra."

"Having a stable government in Maharashtra isn't NCP's responsibility," said Pawar, whose party offered unconditional outside support to BJP the day election results were declared.

Reacting on Pawar's comment, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "Pawar may say anything, but it is our party, which holds the keys to power. We will decide our future course of action depending upon the situation prevailing at that particular time.

However, we are confident that there will not be any snap polls in Maharashtra."

BJP has 121, Shiv Sena 63, Congress 42 and NCP 41 MLAs in the 288-member Assembly.

State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had won a controversial confidence vote last week after NCP declared outside support to his minority government.

As the confidence motion was passed by a voice vote, there was an uproar by Sena and Congress, with the two parties petitioning Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to direct the government to seek a fresh vote in which its strength be determined through division of votes.

NCP Legislature Party leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, too, disapproved of the manner in which the motion was passed by voice vote.

Sharad Pawar had earlier said he cannot guarantee the survival of the BJP government for its full five-year term.

Earlier, the NCP chief also alleged that some elements in BJP were behind the rise of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) party which won two seats in the recent state Assembly polls.

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