Mid-term polls in Maharashtra? Sharad Pawar’s prediction on future of Eknath Shinde govt in address to NCP leaders
Ahead of a crucial trust vote in the state Assembly, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Sunday asked party MLAs and workers to prepare for mid-term elections in Maharashtra, stating that the Eknath Shinde government will not last beyond six months, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
In an address to partymen, Pawar pointed out that the first seed of discontent will be sown after the ministerial portfolios are allocated, adding that many of the rebel MLAs are unhappy with the existing arrangement and may eventually re-align with the Thackerays.
“The newly-formed government in Maharashtra may fall in the next six months, hence all should be ready for mid-term polls,” an NCP leader, who was also present during Pawar’s address, told PTI. “Pawar said that many rebel legislators who are supporting Shinde are not happy with the current arrangement. Once the ministerial portfolios are distributed, their unrest will come out, which will ultimately result in the collapse of the government,” he further told PTI.
The NCP leader further revealed that Pawar asked all the members of the party to be ready for early elections and hence, wanted them to spend more time in their respective constituencies. The NCP leader said that Pawar believed that the new experiment in the state will eventually fail as many rebels will rejoin the Uddhav camp after the dust settles.
On Thursday, Eknath Shinde took oath as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister and BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was sworn-in as the Deputy CM a day after former CM Uddhav Thackeray decided to skip the no-trust vote moved against him and resign from his post. Shinde claimed the support of at least 39 out of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, thus resulting in Uddhav Thackeray’s government to lost its majority in the Assembly House. After Shinde became the CM, Pawar said that the decision was quite “shocking,” while stating that Fadnavis was visibly not happy with the deputy’s role.