04 June,2024 04:11 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Sharad Pawar with party leaders during a press conference on Wednesday. Pic/Ashish Raje
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP-SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that the INDIA alliance leaders will meet in Delhi on Wednesday, June 5 to decide the future course of action while also stating that the opposition bloc was not likely to form the government, reported the PTI.
According to the news agency, while speaking at a press conference in Mumbai as the trends indicated the BJP might not achieve majority on its own in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, Sharad Pawar said that he had not spoken to JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar or TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, contrary to media reports.
"I spoke to Mallikarjun Kharge and Sitaram Yechury. The INDIA alliance meeting is likely to be held in Delhi tomorrow. Final decision is expected to be taken by this evening. Accordingly, I will be in Delhi," Sharad Pawar said, as per the PTI.
To a question who would be the next prime minister, Sharad Pawar said, "We have not given it a thought.
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"I am not sure if the INDIA alliance can form government. We will meet tomorrow and take a decision unanimously on the future course of action," he said, the news agency reported.
The results in Uttar Pradesh had given a new direction to the INDIA alliance, he said, noting that even where the BJP was winning, its victory margins were narrow, compared to the last time.
He also expressed satisfaction with his own party's performance, saying it contested ten seats and was ahead in seven.
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) workers began early celebrations in Maharashtra's Baramati Lok Sabha constituency on Tuesday as the party's sitting MP, Supriya Sule, was leading over her sister-in-law Sunetra Pawar of the NCP by more than 14,000 votes, according to the PTI.
Workers of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) danced on roads, sprinkled 'gulal' on each other and raised slogans in support of their party and Sule.
As per the latest data on the Election Commission's website, Sule so far received 1,43,686 votes, while Sunetra Pawar, the wife of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, got 1,29,190 votes.
Sadashiv Bapu Satav, the election in-charge of NCP (SP) in Baramati, said, "The party workers in Baramati are very happy and they are already celebrating in the constituency by dancing and sprinkling gulal. We are planning a grand celebration in the constituency."
In neighbouring Pune Lok Sabha seat, where BJP candidate Murlidhar Mohol was leading over Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar, workers of the saffron party also celebrated by throwing 'gulal' and dancing to DJ music.
(with PTI inputs)
