As the results started pouring in and the picture for Maharashtra Assembly polls emerged with BJP and Shiv Sena alliance in comfortable position but with lesser number of seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar today took a dig at the BJP and said that that people of Maharashtra did not like the arrogance of power and that “power comes, power goes but it is important to remain committed to a cause”.
“People have not accepted the talk of 220 seats (out of 288). The NCP accepts people’s mandate humbly. The Congress, NCP, PWP, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and other allies whole-heartedly co-operated with each other. The election result shows people did not like the arrogance of power,” PTI quoted Sharad Pawar as saying.
At a press briefing, the veteran leader said, “The Opposition has worked hard and all members of Congress-NCP and allies have delivered and given their best. I thank them all. Power comes, power goes but it is important to remain committed to a cause and we thank people for the love they showed.”
The 79-year-old leader with a much improved tally than last election ruled out any possibility for supporting the Shiv Sena to form a government or when asked what’s next for the NCP after not securing enough seats Pawar said that going with Shiv Sena is “out of question” as “it is against NCP’s policy.”
On party’s future course of action NCP president said, “We will soon hold a meeting to discuss certain things about the elections, with our supporters and decide our future course of action. We have tried to perform to the best of our abilities.”
Accepting people’s verdict he said, “We will be thinking about taking a new leadership ahead. People have asked us to sit in opposition and we accept that.”
Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections NCP chief Sharad Pawar withstood heavy rains and addressed a campaign rally, all drenched on October 17 at Satara as an answer to accusation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not having courage to contest the Lok Sabha election from the constituency just a day back. A video of Pawar admitting that he made a “mistake” in choosing the candidate from Satara during the Lok Sabha Elections went viral.
During his brief speech he got completely drenched in the rain, said he committed “a mistake” in selecting candidate for the Lok Sabha earlier this year, but people were now waiting to correct it.
The veteran leader won accolades on the social media for addressing the election rally while it was raining, as the video of his speech went viral.
During the election campaign PM Modi said, “Doob maro (drown in shame),” at Akola while launching a stinging attack on the opposition over the Centre’s decision to scrap Article 370 and accused it of indulging in “political opportunism”, Modi targeted Pawar. He said, “For political gains, some are openly saying that Article 370 has nothing to do in Maharashtra Assembly polls and that J-K has nothing to do with Maharashtra. I want to tell such people that J-K and its people are also sons of Bharat Mata,”
Modi lashed out at the Congress and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who had accused the ruling BJP of diverting attention from its failures in the two states of Maharashtra and J-K by referring to the abrogation of Article 370 in its polls campaign
“They don’t even have the courage to contest even Lok Sabha elections from Satara,” while speaking at a rally in Satara pointing at NCP patriarch.
Pawar’s responded to PM Modi’s attack on Oppostion today. He said, “I want to thank Modi, Home Minister (Amit Shah) and other leaders and Chief Ministers of different states to have come and visited the state and said things about me.”