Be ready for snap polls, Sharad Pawar tells cadre

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar dropped a political bombshell on Tuesday saying the stability of the nascent BJP government in Maharashtra was not his party's responsibility.

"The NCP cadre should be prepared for snap elections," Pawar said in inaugural speech at the two-day Chintan Shibir (introspection session) in Alibaug.

He said that BJP-led government is a minority one. BJP has 121 MLAs, Sena 63, Congress 42 and the NCP 21 in the 288-members of state Assembly. "Earlier there was a possibility that the BJP and Shiv Sena would come together to form a stable government. But it does not seems so. Also, Congress and NCP are not in position to form the government," said Pawar.

Pawar said NCP extended outside support to the BJP for the sake of a stable government. "However, it is not our duty to provide stability. It is the responsibility of the BJP. Besides, the BJP did not have the courage take our support while proving majority on the floor of the House," he said.

The current political situation is volatile and uncertain. Therefore, there is a huge possibility of mid term elections in state. The BJP itself may also come up with this idea of snap polls sooner or later," Pawar said.