Why not have Sharad Pawar as PM, asks NCP

The Nationalist Congress Party on Wednesday did not rule out Sharad Pawar as a prime ministerial candidate after the coming Lok Sabha elections, as it sought to put pressure on the Congress for convening an early meeting of the United Progressive Alliance to chalk out a common strategy and to finalise seat sharing with allies.

The Pawar-led party also threatened to talk to other secular parties if the Congress failed to get the UPA allies on board by ensuring seat sharing with constituents on the basis of their proportional strength.

"I K Gujral and Chandrashekhar, who received outside support from 211 members, also became prime ministers," NCP General Secretary D P Tripathi said.

The NCP is aware that it does not have the number, but the issue of prime minister depends on the political situation emerging after the Lok Sabha elections, he said. 

At the same time, Tripathi said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is the present and the future of the Congress, and it depends on the latter to decide on their prime ministerial candidates.

"Our best wishes are with him," he said when asked whether the NCP would support Rahul for prime minister's post.

Briefing media persons after a working committee meeting, he said the party was looking forward to contest 45-50 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, including 26 in Maharashtra.