NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said if he had sent his party colleague Ajit Pawar to join hands with the BJP to form a government in Maharashtra after Assembly polls in 2019, then he would have ensured the dispensation stayed in power.
Ajit Pawar had stunned political circles in the state by teaming up with Devendra Fadnavis in late 2019 to form a government, with the latter as CM, before it fell in a little over three days.
Speaking at an event organised by Marathi newspaper Loksatta, Pawar, when queried on this topic, said, "If I would have sent him (Ajit Pawar), then I would have made sure they would have (formed and ) continued the government," The NCP chief also said the MVA government under Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was doing well, adding that even as the latter was unwell for the past 10 days, there were other ministers with experience of administration.
Speaking about the possible political scenario post the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and whether he would be at the helm of affairs, the former Union minister said he would like to "support and guide the person who will be heading the government" rather than lead it.
He said the number of rallies and programmes being attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh, where polls are scheduled for early 2022, means the ruling party there has taken cognisance of the ground reality
