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Be ready for snap polls, Pawar tells party workers

Last Updated 18 November 2014, 20:49 IST

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday asked his party workers to be prepared for mid-term polls saying that the present political atmosphere is not conducive for stability of government.

“We have to be ready for mid-term elections…having a stable government is not the responsibility of the NCP,” Pawar, a former Union minister in the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government, said inaugurating the two-day meeting of the party at Alibaug, a seashore resort town in Raigad district, nearly 110 km away from downtown Mumbai.

“The present situation in Maharashtra is not of long term political stability. If the political instability continues, then in four to six months the state may have to face polls and that will not be good for Maharashtra,” veteran master-politician said.

The statement shocked the BJP, which has been extended “unconditional outside support” by the NCP.

However, immediately after the Cabinet meeting, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who heads the BJP government, told newspersons the government would last its full term.

“The government would complete its full term of five years,” Fadnavis said.

The recent Assembly elections has thrown up a hung House with BJP winning 122 seats (current strength 121 as one MLA has died), Shiv Sena 63, Congress 42 and NCP 41 MLAs in the 288-member House.

Fadnavis had won a controversial confidence vote last week which was passed by a voice vote, and the Shiv Sena and Congress, later urged Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to direct the government to seek a fresh vote in which its strength be determined through division of votes.

Meanwhile, even though Shiv Sena’s Eknath Khadse has been made the Leader of Opposition, talks between Sena and BJP are underway to pursue the former to join the government. Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut appeared to say that the key to survival of the government is in his party’s hands.

“I am sure there won’t be fresh polls in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena has the ‘keys’ to keep the government stable or unstable,” Raut said.

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(Published 18 November 2014, 06:55 IST)

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