Differences On CM Post Led To Delays, Admits Sharad Pawar

Speaking at a function, Pawar said that earlier the NCP had sought a 30-month sharing of the Chief Minister's post which led to disagreements among the three parties and consensus eluded them virtually till last Friday.

Differences On CM Post Led To Delays, Admits Sharad Pawar/ Photo: Getty Images

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar on Monday admitted that differences over sharing the post of Chief Minister led to delays in the formation of the Maharashtra government by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance. Speaking at a function, Pawar said that earlier the NCP had sought a 30-month sharing of the Chief Minister's post which led to disagreements among the three parties and consensus eluded them virtually till last Friday. Finally, late on Friday evening, the three parties announced that there was unanimity among them that Sena President Uddhav Thackeray should be the CM for a full five years, with NCP-Congress having the post of Deputy CMs. Hoping for a favourable response from Thackeray, the three parties had tentatively planned to go to the Raj Bhavan and stake claim to form the government on the following afternoon. However, early morning of November 23, the Bharatiya Janata Party's Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar were sworn-in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively, shocking the country. One of the reasons cited by Ajit Pawar for his abrupt reason to ally with BJP was he was "tired with the delays leading to the government formation process". However, Sharad Pawar made it clear that he would never go back on his promise made to the Sena now and reiterated that his nephew did not have either the family or the NCP's backing for his sudden step. His disclosure came as he visited the samadhi of Maharashtra's first Chief Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Y.B. Chavan to pay respects to the political stalwart on his 35th death anniversary.