Sena lauds Sharad Pawar, terms him mentor of three-party alliance

The Shiv Sena on Thursday (November 28) termed NCP chief Sharad Pawar the ‘margdarshak’ (guide) of the new government in Maharashtra and heartily praised him for enabling the appointment of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as Maharashtra’s chief minister.

An editorial in Sena mouthpiece, Saamana acknowledged Sharad Pawar’s efforts in taking the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance forward.

The NCP chief, who spoke to Ajit Pawar on Tuesday (November 26) and asked him to revisit his decision of supporting the BJP, has been given credit for the u-turn by his nephew and is being described as the state political drama’s ‘man of the match’.

“A strong and experienced margdarshak like Sharad Pawar is with us. This government will not function with any deceitful intention against anyone,” the Sena said.

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Though the Shiv Sena espouses the Hindutva ideology, it formed the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ alliance with the NCP and Congress when the Sena fell out with the BJP over the issue of sharing the chief minister’s post after the previous month’s Assembly elections.

With the single-largest party BJP being unable to form government, the Sena described the change in political dynamics as the “rise of a new sun” in Maharashtra.

Without naming the BJP, it said the Sena leader did not bow down to any pressure from the Centre. “At a time when prominent leaders from across the country are kneeling before rulers in Delhi, Uddhav Thackeray did not bow down to such pressure tactics. He did not compromise with his pride and refused to join hands with people who lied to him,” the Marathi publication said.

It also said that former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has cursed the Sena-NCP-Congress government, saying the dispensation standing on three legs will not survive, but that this was his “delusion”. “There is no confusion among the three parties about development of the state,” it added.

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In a dramatic turn of events, Fadnavis had taken oath as chief minister in a hushed-up ceremony on Saturday (November 23) morning and NCP’s Ajit Pawar as his deputy. Opposing the move, the Shiv Sena, the NCP and Congress, moved the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court declared, three days later, that the BJP would have to prove their majority within 24 hours in a floor test. Since the BJP did not have the numbers to prove their majority, Fadnavis resigned four days after being sworn-in. Ajit Pawar too had resigned before him citing “personal reasons”.

The three-party alliance then decided to form the government in Maharashtra with Uddhav as the CM.

(With inputs from agencies)