NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday warned of the possibility of mid-term polls in Maharashtra in the next six months since the BJP-led minority government did not seem stable.
“The Shiv Sena and the BJP do not seem to be coming together. In such a scenario, there could be President’s Rule for five or six months. If a government is not formed, there could be mid-term polls. The current scenario does not indicate long-term political stability,” he said, addressing party workers in Alibaug.
In a dramatic reversal of the party’s earlier offer of unconditional support to the BJP-led government, Mr. Pawar said, “The NCP has not taken responsibility for ensuring a stable government.”
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He clarified that his party had remained neutral during the controversial trust vote which the government won last week. “We did not vote for the government or against it. We were neutral,” he said. Significantly, Mr. Pawar criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “The personal attacks he made during the campaign and the language he used does not befit the status of a Prime Minister.”
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis countered Mr. Pawar’s predictions. “We will have a stable government which will last for five years. There will not be mid-term polls,” he told the media. ( With inputs from Shoumojit Banerjee )