Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party and widely believed to be the chief architect of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, is reportedly unhappy with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. According to a report published in Marathi news daily Tarun Bharat, Sharad Pawar believes that he committed a big mistake by making Uddhav Thackeray the chief minister of Maharashtra.
The report states that after Uddhav Thackeray stopped responding to Sharad Pawar’s phone calls, the NCP chief confided in Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut that he made a big mistake by making Thackeray Maharashtra’s chief minister. The Marathi daily further conjectured that discussions in the political circles attribute Pawar’s disillusionment to Thackeray’s nature.
Speaking at a programme titled ‘West Bengal to Pandharpur’, which discussed the assembly election results in the five states, senior journalist Anil Thatte revealed that Sharad Pawar told Raut that he or Eknath Shinde would have been a far better choice for the post of Maharashtra’s chief ministership.
Thatte also put paid to the theories that Mamata Banerjee’s emphatic victory in Bengal could be replicated in other states, including Maharashtra. “Balasaheb did not win power on his own, Sharad Pawar can never be the Mamata Banerjee of Maharashtra. Neither it is possible for Uddhav Thackeray. Sharad Pawar has never been in power with more than 52-55 MLAs. It is impossible for Shiv Sena to ape Mamata Banerjee in Maharashtra, and nor Mamata can come here and become their saviour,” he said.
“Mamata’s political style is not digestible in Maharashtra. Also, Maha Vikas Aghadi does not have a capable leadership to stand up against Fadnavis. A rift in the ruling alliance in the state is inevitable. It will happen soon,” Thatte said.
Thatte’s proclamations come against the backdrop of Shiv Sena’s efforts to forge a national-level alliance against the Narendra Modi-led BJP. Earlier yesterday, Raut said that there is a need for opposition parties to come together and form a strong coalition.
“There is a need to have a strong alliance of opposition parties in the country. But there can’t be an alliance without the Congress party. It will be the soul. Leadership can be decided through consultations,” Mr Raut told reporters.
