NCP in talks with parties to forge ‘anti-BJP’ front

By Krishna Kumar

MUMBAI: Aam Aadmi Party’s spectacular win in Delhi has prompted Nationalist Congress Party to renew talk of forging a nation-wide coalition against the BJP. NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that he was involved in such a discussion with other parties.

Reacting to BJP’s defeat in Delhi, Pawar said in Pune on Tuesday that it was the beginning of BJP’s end, after losing power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. “The cycle of defeat will not be halted. It is our responsibility to provide an alternative to the BJP.” Pawar said he and leaders of other parties were engaged in talks to form an anti-BJP front in different states. “We are involved in discussions to give an alternative. I am not saying this will succeed 100%, but the process has begun,” Pawar said.


Former ally Shiv Sena too celebrated BJP’s defeat in Delhi. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in a statement said “Mann ki baat has been triumphed by jann ki baat.A so-called nationalist party in power at the Centre had put in all efforts and yet could not offer a match to the broom (AAP’s election symbol). They used their clout and got senior leaders in the state, called Arvind Kejriwal a terrorist. They tried to divert attention from local issues and tried to incite people over international issues. Delhi’s voters have burst the bubble ‘only we love the country and all others are traitors’,” Thackeray said.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Pawar’s grandnephew Rohit Pawar said the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party should tie up for the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. “I know the two parties formed an alliance for the Lok Sabha polls and lost but the situation would be different in assembly polls. Regional parties should come together with Trinamool in West Bengal and other states too against the BJP and it would make a difference like in Maharashtra,” Rohit Pawar said. He said parties should sink their differences to present a united front against BJP in assembly polls.