NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday reiterated that his party’s earlier offer to support the BJP Government in Maharashtra stands.
This came a day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackarey threatened to sit in the Opposition if the BJP, its ally at the Centre and former coalition partner, takes support from the NCP in Maharashtra.
Repeating his party’s stance since the State Assembly results came out on October 19, the NCP strongman said that to support the BJP is a “conscious and collective decision” in the larger interest of the State.
Pawar said the NCP and the Congress do not have enough seats to form a government. Hence, in the interest of having a stable government, his party has offered unconditional support to the BJP, which emerged with the highest number of seats.
Shielding ministers When questioned if this move is designed to shield some of his ministers from investigations, Pawar said: “The Government at the Centre and the State is free to conduct investigations.”
However, he did not clarify on whether his party will vote in favour of the BJP government in Maharashtra, or abstain from voting altogether on November 12, when the new government will be required to prove its strength on the floor of the House.
“We will decide based on the situation then,” he added.
If the NCP abstains from voting, it will bring down the effective size of the house to 247, bringing the BJP within sniffing distance of comfortably winning the trust vote in the 288-member Assembly.
The BJP, which has 122 MLAs, needs to have at least half the House strength to cross the line.
Policy issues “We have not been contacted by anybody from the BJP on the issue of our support,” Pawar said, adding that the NCP will oppose the BJP if any of its policies are “anti-people.”
Asked if he has sent a letter of support to the governor, Pawar said: “Why should we give anything in writing? We know how to act on the floor of the House.”