Sharad Pawar in favour of a Maratha for PM’s job
NCP leader Sharad Pawar said anything can happen if UPA or NDA do not reach the magic figure in the coming polls.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: Contenders discounting the possibility of their party or their alliance winning polls is unheard of. But in this season of political flux, where the two main national parties do not seem to have the required political depth, components of alliances have already begun positioning themselves for post-poll power games. A clear indication of this was available on Friday when NCP leader Sharad Pawar said that ���anything can happen if UPA or NDA do not reach the magic figure��� in the coming polls.
Mr Pawar, who has been coordinating efforts with parties inside and outside UPA to undercut Congress, also made it amply clear that the issue of prime ministership was far from settled. Congress may be maintaining that Manmohan Singh will be its prime minister in the event of a UPA victory, but Mr Pawar is not ready to underwrite this assertion.
During a campaign trip to Madha Lok Sabha seat in Western Maharashtra, Mr Pawar told a television channel that there was a ���general feeling in the state��� that Maharashtra should get the opportunity for the country���s top job. Virtually rejecting the Congress claim, Mr Pawar said the grand old party cannot stake claim as it has rejected the proposal to fight the election under the banner of UPA. The new situation, the Maratha strongman said, will give UPA constituents a greater say in deciding the prime ministerial candidate after the Lok Sabha polls.
Even as he admitted that his party would not have the numerical strength to make a bid for prime ministership, Mr Pawar said in the possibility of a fractured mandate, the newly formed third front could play a significant role after the elections. He also stressed the need for ���like-minded��� parties to come together to give a ���strong and stable��� government at a time when the country was passing through a difficult economic phase.
The Shiv Sena���s support to Mr Pawar to better his prime ministerial prospects as ���Marathi Manoos��� has been a contentious issue in the saffron alliance, with BJP maintaining that as a constituent of NDA, the Bal Thackeray-led party was bound to back L K Advani. On his part, the NCP chief has said that supporting a Marathi is the Sena policy as was evident in the Presidential election won by Pratibha Patil.
Mr Pawar, who has been coordinating efforts with parties inside and outside UPA to undercut Congress, also made it amply clear that the issue of prime ministership was far from settled. Congress may be maintaining that Manmohan Singh will be its prime minister in the event of a UPA victory, but Mr Pawar is not ready to underwrite this assertion.
During a campaign trip to Madha Lok Sabha seat in Western Maharashtra, Mr Pawar told a television channel that there was a ���general feeling in the state��� that Maharashtra should get the opportunity for the country���s top job. Virtually rejecting the Congress claim, Mr Pawar said the grand old party cannot stake claim as it has rejected the proposal to fight the election under the banner of UPA. The new situation, the Maratha strongman said, will give UPA constituents a greater say in deciding the prime ministerial candidate after the Lok Sabha polls.
Even as he admitted that his party would not have the numerical strength to make a bid for prime ministership, Mr Pawar said in the possibility of a fractured mandate, the newly formed third front could play a significant role after the elections. He also stressed the need for ���like-minded��� parties to come together to give a ���strong and stable��� government at a time when the country was passing through a difficult economic phase.
The Shiv Sena���s support to Mr Pawar to better his prime ministerial prospects as ���Marathi Manoos��� has been a contentious issue in the saffron alliance, with BJP maintaining that as a constituent of NDA, the Bal Thackeray-led party was bound to back L K Advani. On his part, the NCP chief has said that supporting a Marathi is the Sena policy as was evident in the Presidential election won by Pratibha Patil.
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