No place for NCP in NDA, says Maharashtra BJP president Devendra Phadnavis

NCP had no place in the NDA as it would harm the BJP's electoral prospects, Maharashtra BJP president Devendra Phadanvis said here today. "The state BJP leadership has conveyed it to the central leadership its opposition for any role for NCP in the NDA dispensation," he added.

Phadanvis said that while ally Shiv Sena was expected to win about 17 seats in Maharashtra, BJP itself could get 19 to 22 seats. NCP's state working president Jitendra Awhad too rejected the speculation that his party may cosy up to the NDA after tomorrow's results. He said NCP was a part of the UPA and would continue to be. The speculation started when senior NCP leader and Union Minister Praful Patel said that BJP would emerge as the single largest party and the country should have a "stable" government which will "decisively govern".

After the exit of Trinamool Congress and DMK, NCP is the biggest ally of Congress in the UPA. The two parties have been sharing power in Maharashtra since 1999. Congress sources said the love-hate relationship between Congress and NCP will continue and there would be no realignment of political forces in the state irrespective of tomorrow's results.
"Both Congress-NCP and Shiv Sena-BJP know that they have to swim together or sink together as both sets of partners are unable to chart out their own different, ideologically oriented political paths," a political observer said.

Sources said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar will face opposition from state Sena-BJP leaders if he seeks to enter the NDA camp.
"In fact, Congress should now deliberate on how its prospects suffer due to NCP, and what can be done to improve or maintain its performance in the coming Assembly elections," a Congress source said. PTI MR