Sharad Pawar has bowled his last 'googly' in Maharashtra politics, says Chandrashekhar Bawankule

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. File Pic

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday took potshots at Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar over the events surrounding the short-lived government in 2019, saying it was Pawar's last "googly" and none of his plans will work now, reported news agency PTI.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, speaking to a TV channel, said Sharad Pawar made his nephew and NCP leader Ajit Pawar a "scapegoat" when the latter joined hands with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to form a government that collapsed after 80 hours.

On November 23, 2019, Fadnavis took oath as Chief Minister and Ajit Pawar as deputy CM at an early morning swearing-in ceremony, but their government did not last long.

In an interview, Fadnavis, now deputy CM of Maharashtra, claimed Sharad Pawar had agreed to form a government with the BJP, but backed out at the last moment.

Responding to Fadnavis statement, the former Union minister said in Pune he knew "where and when to bowl a googly".

His father-in-law (Test player Sadu Shinde) was a googly bowler, and he himself (Pawar) was the ICC chairman, the NCP chief said, adding, "so, without playing cricket, I knew where and when to bowl a googly."

Bawankule said history of Pawar shows he goes anywhere for sake of power.

"Pawar had tried a lot to join hands with the BJP in 2014 for sake of power and hatched a political conspiracy in 2019. He made his nephew Ajit Pawar a part of that conspiracy and tried to destroy his political career. By doing so he raised a question mark over Ajit Pawar in the minds of people and the NCP," Bawankule was quoted as saying by PTI.

The BJP leader, reacting to Sharad Pawar's googly barb, said it was his last "googly".

"Henceforth, none of Pawar's googly will work and only the Devendra Fadnavis government will work in Maharashtra," Bawankule was quoted as saying by PTI.

Meanwhile, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said "certain things were done" after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections to expose the BJP and show how far it can go to gain power.

The veteran politician was responding to reporters' questions about BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis's claim that Pawar had agreed to form government with the NCP but backed out at the last moment.

It was true that BJP leaders had met the NCP leadership and had discussions on several things, Pawar said.

(With inputs from PTI)