No room for Sharad Pawar in NDA, says Shiv Sena

NEW DELHI: After Sharad Pawar’s NCP hinted at switching coalition partners, the Shiv Sena leadership has made it clear to BJP that Pawar’s party cannot be admitted to the National Democratic Alliance.

The development comes even as the Congress high command has asked NCP to settle for a smaller share of Lok Sabha seats as Congress would like to rope in the Republican Party of India (RPI) faction led by Prakash Ambedkar into the United Progressive Alliance.

Congress’ hard bargaining on seat-sharing seems to be one reason why NCP has suddenly struck a belligerent posture. On Friday, even as news channels went on an over-drive about a meeting between NDA’s PM candidate Narendra Modi and Pawar – prompting NCP chief to issue a denial – Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, confidant of Sena chief Udhav Thackeray, was in Delhi making it clear to BJP that NCP cannot enter NDA.


“There is absolutely no question of the Sena allowing NCP entering NDA. First, there is no space in NDA for NCP. Secondly, BJP, Sena and NDA have been fighting the corrupt UPA regime and are going to polls on an anti-corruption plank. NCP ministers in Maharashtra too are the face of corrupt UPA. How can we join hands with NCP?” Raut told ET.

He said it was not only Sena’s view but also “of our allies like RPI (Athavale faction) and Swabhimaani Shetkari Sanghatana led by Raju Shetty). We hope BJP too is of the same view.” Asked whether he has conveyed this to BJP, he added, “I am conveying to everyone and media too”.

Though Raut said he reached Delhi “to attend a parliamentary committee meeting”, there are indications that he was Sena’s special emissary sent to BJP. Asked about NCP leader Praful Patel’s soft statement on Narendra Modi, Raut quipped, “when the war begins, rats flee.” Raut’s comment comes in the wake of speculation that Patel may be looking forward to joining BJP.

But NCP leader DP Tripthi tried to dismiss any such possibility. “There is no question of Praful Patel joining BJP. He is an important leader of NCP,” he told ET. Despite NCP’s belligerence AICC is learnt to be pressuring it to surrender some Lok Sabha seats it contested last time. Traditionally NCP contests 22 LS seats and Congress 26. AICC now wants NCP to settle for about 17 seats.

A source said the initial AICC message was conveyed by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to NCP’s RR Patel recently. Congress is hoping to contest a couple of extra seats in the state and apart from accommodating RPI (Ambedkar) faction by offering it another couple of seats.

An enraged NCP wants immediate settlement of the matter as per the old formula but Congress is holding back. AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi on Friday underplayed NCP’s threat saying, “politics is always an exploration of options.”