Maha cauldron churns again as NCP flip-flops
20 Nov 2014 5:34 AM IST
The BJP, which is in the minority in Maharashtra assembly, has so far said that NCP’s support for them was one-sided and it would rather prefer a ‘working’ relationship with its estranged ally the Shiv Sena.
On Tuesday, NCP president Sharad Pawar asked his party workers to be prepared for ‘snap polls’ in Maharashtra considering the political situation after the recent state Assembly elections. ‘Having a stable government in Maharashtra isn’t NCP’s responsibility,’ said Pawar, addressing a two-day party meeting, which began on Tuesday at Alibaug in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. ‘We have to be ready to face snap polls in Maharashtra,’ added Pawar in his address.
Similar sentiments were earlier expressed by Pawar’s nephew and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who had claimed that keeping the government running was not the responsibility of his party. NCP had surprised political circles by offering unconditional outside support to BJP the day election results were declared on the ‘pretext’ of having a stable government in the state. Pawar 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 and spoilt NCP’s chances of winning a number of seats. 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 from 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. NCP, despite announcing support to the government, has refrained from formalising it by submitting a letter to that effect to the Governor.
‘Pawar’s statement isn’t unexpected,’ BJP’s state chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said. Amid the flip-flop by NCP, BJP had reached out to Shiv Sena on Monday, the second death anniversary of its founder Bal Thackeray, promising to fulfil the party’s demand for a befitting memorial to the late leader.
On Tuesday, NCP president Sharad Pawar asked his party workers to be prepared for ‘snap polls’ in Maharashtra considering the political situation after the recent state Assembly elections. ‘Having a stable government in Maharashtra isn’t NCP’s responsibility,’ said Pawar, addressing a two-day party meeting, which began on Tuesday at Alibaug in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. ‘We have to be ready to face snap polls in Maharashtra,’ added Pawar in his address.
Similar sentiments were earlier expressed by Pawar’s nephew and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who had claimed that keeping the government running was not the responsibility of his party. NCP had surprised political circles by offering unconditional outside support to BJP the day election results were declared on the ‘pretext’ of having a stable government in the state. Pawar 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 and spoilt NCP’s chances of winning a number of seats. 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 from 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. NCP, despite announcing support to the government, has refrained from formalising it by submitting a letter to that effect to the Governor.
‘Pawar’s statement isn’t unexpected,’ BJP’s state chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said. Amid the flip-flop by NCP, BJP had reached out to Shiv Sena on Monday, the second death anniversary of its founder Bal Thackeray, promising to fulfil the party’s demand for a befitting memorial to the late leader.
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