UPA is vulnerable after DMK pullout,must gear up for early polls: Pawar

UNION Agriculture Minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar,a key UPA ally,said on Saturday that the ruling coalition at the Centre had become “vulnerable” after the DMK’s pullout,and it should be ready for early elections.

“First the TMC withdrew its support to the UPA and more recently,the DMK backed out. This has made the UPA’s position vulnerable. As compared to the last term,the current UPA alliance is sinking. We should now prepare and plan for elections,and I have requested UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to convene a meeting to discuss the matter,” said Pawar.

On the UPA’s prime ministerial candidate,Pawar said: “The Congress is now left with only two major allies,NCP and National Conference. But it is still the majority party and we will respect its decision.”

Asked about former BJP president Nitin Gadkari’s claim that a senior UPA leader had sought his help to bring down the government,Pawar pointed out that the NCP has only nine MPs.