NCP chief Sharad Pawar has done lot a of obligations on Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is indebted to Pawar and now it’s time to repay by getting presidential post for the senior leader of Maha Vikas Aghadi. Amid the turmoil in Delhi, some statements in Mumbai signaled a new rallying point for the Opposition. Whereas Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s name should be considered by all political parties for the 2022 presidential election.
NCP’s Rajya Sabha MP Majid Memon told Afternoon Voice, “Sharad Pawar is very strong political leader and now due for President’s post. The move to muster support for Sharad Pawar to be next Rashtrapati may yield positive results and will bring all non BJP forces closer by 2022”.
Maharashtra Congress’s Ashok Chavan also gave a diplomatic “consensus should be built on the candidature” statement, which hinted at some beneath-the-surface movement on the issue. While the presidential elections are more than two years away, one wonders what the significance of these statements could be. If the plan to elect Pawar as president is accomplished it could alter the political scenario ahead of next general election. Observers believe it could be either to build enough support by making an early move or to irritate the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by talking about another adhesive force for anti-BJP unity. Or this can be hammering to tell the ruling party in centre that the candidate is predefined and one should consider the choice.
Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut is reportedly going on a tour of the non-BJP ruled states in order to discuss the feasibility of this plan with Chief Ministers of the states. It is said that Raut would be meeting Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan, INC), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal, TMC), Pinarayi Vijayan, (Kerala, CPI-M), and Kamal Nath (Madhya Pradesh, INC).
“I think the numbers are on our side for the next Presidential poll. We’ve started working out the details. We’ll have to first talk to Pawar saheb and seek his clearance. I don’t think there will be any glitch,” said Raut. Raut also claimed that there will be enough numbers on the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance to decide the presidential election.
“I think other political parties can propose other senior candidates for the post of president. By 2022 there will be enough numbers on our side to decide the presidential candidate,” added Raut.
It is said that Shiv Sena owes a great debt to Sharad Pawar for his timely intervention during the party’s fallout with the BJP, while also reportedly convincing INC chief Sonia Gandhi to agree to the coalition that ultimately kept BJP out of power. Pawar will succeed Ram Nath Kovind who was elected in 2017 for a 5-year term. Kovind was BJP’s candidate for the post.
