Mumbai: After a good showing in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, the NCP will focus on creating a "good pool of leaders", party supremo Sharad Pawar said on Friday, ruling out any plan to support the Shiv Sena for keeping the BJP away from power.
The NCP, which saw some prominent leaders leaving the party before the elections, ended up with 54 seats, ahead of ally Congress which won 44, though behind the saffron allies BJP and Shiv Sena which won 105 and 56 seats.
Asked about the possibility of the NCP supporting the Shiv Sena to form government and thus keeping the BJP away from power, Pawar told a newschannel, "We want to create a good pool of leaders. I am more concerned about agriculture, industries and unemployment.
"We want to focus on public concerns. So we have no interest in other things," he said.
The former Union minister said he expected the NCP's victory in the Parli assembly constituency, where it defeated BJP minister Pankaja Munde, and in Satara Lok Sabha bypoll.
NCP MP from Satara Udayanraje Bhosale had quit the party and resigned as a legislator to join the BJP, which fielded him in the subsequent byelection.
However, he was worsted by NCP veteran Shriniwas Patil who won by over 80,000 votes. In Parli, NCP's Dhananjay Munde -- Pankaja's estranged cousin -- snatched the seat away from the BJP.
"I was not shocked by the Satara result. I was sure of the result. I had no doubt about the outcome in Parli too. I was sure the result will be in favour of Dhananjay Munde," Pawar said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said after the results came on Thursday that Pawar had no reason to celebrate as the opposition was not in the position to form government.
Asked about it, Pawar said, "We are not contented as we wanted majority. But we are also not sad, as the big boasts (of the BJP) have not turned out to be true." Voters did not like the BJP inducting leaders from opposition parties into its fold ahead of the elections, Pawar said.
