Senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are hopeful that the political logjam in the State would end soon, following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi on Wednesday.
Mr. Pawar met the Prime Minister in Parliament on Wednesday to discuss the looming agrarian crisis in Maharashtra. However, senior BJP leaders said the meeting did involve talks on the political situation in Maharashtra. They said it has reignited hope that the party is not yet out of contention for government formation, even as talks between the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress appear to be heading towards some conclusion.
“We are confident of forming the government. Maharashtra will only get a BJP-led government in future,” Ashish Shelar, senior party leader and member of the party’s core committee, said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The meeting between the two leaders set off speculation in political circles that the BJP and NCP were trying to strike a deal to form a government.
But BJP leaders denied any back channel talks were on with the NCP. “This is mere speculation. When we want to talk with a party, we will not be clandestine about it,” a senior BJP leader and former State minister said.
The BJP leadership also denied rumours that the two parties have struck a deal promising three cabinet berths to the NCP in exchange of support for government formation. “There is also talk that the Prime Minister has promised Mr. Pawar the post of the next President and has agreed on a 50:50 formula, with the BJP and NCP sharing the post of the chief minister. These are unverified reports,” the BJP leader said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Rumours of the BJP and NCP opening back channels for talks are not new. Previously, speculations were rife that a prominent industrialist from Mumbai was trying to broker a deal between the two. But these reports were quickly dismissed by leaders of both parties.