Ruling out a pre-poll coalition of Opposition forces at the national level for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said on Monday that forging alliances on a “state to state” basis would prove to be more effective in upsetting the calculations of the ruling BJP. Ruling out differences among Opposition parties over who would be projected as the PM candidate in case of such state-specific alliances, Pawar said, “I keep telling people that there is no need to project anyone. Let the elections take place. Our aim is to defeat the BJP. Whichever party has more candidates elected to the Lok Sabha can then decide who the PM face is.” He indicated that Congress president Rahul Gandhi was also on board with the idea of not projecting any prime ministerial candidate. “We have had three meetings, (and) I am happy that even the Congress president feels there is no need to project anyone (as PM candidate) before the polls,” he said on the sidelines of a party meeting. The party’s strategy for the Lok Sabha elections and the current political climate across the country were discussed at the meeting. Indicating that regional parties could play a major role in the Lok Sabha polls, Pawar said, “My assessment is that alliances will be on the basis of state-wise positions of the party. So in Tamil Nadu, where the DMK is the number one party, other non-BJP parties will have to accept it (DMK playing the leading role in the state-specific alliance). Similarly, in Karnataka and Rajasthan, the Congress will be the driving force. In Maharashtra, it could be the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, and in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party will assume the lead role.” Pawar recounted instances when the Opposition had not projected anyone for the top post, or cobbled up a pre-poll coalition at the national level, and still ended up upsetting the ruling party. He said, “When people ask who the alternative to Narendra Modi is, I tell them I am not worried about it. Even in 1977 and 2004, who would become the PM was decided after the election results.. The alternatives to Modi are the people of the country — they know who to choose when.” Accusing the ruling dispensation of encouraging the “spread of communalism”, Pawar said that it is the responsibility of “all secular forces to raise their voice against it”. Pawar also confirmed that the Congress and NCP would come together for the polls in Maharashtra. “I have had discussions with the Congress president in this regard. We have nominated Praful Patel and state NCP president Jayant Patil for seat-sharing discussions. They (Congress) have nominated Ashok Gehlot and Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan.” The NCP chief said his party has backed the demand for using ballot papers for the Lok Sabha elections. Pawar claimed that there is growing unrest among the farming community and the youth against the Modi government and maintained that social unrest is on the rise. He also addressed a delegation of Muslim representatives on the sidelines of the party meeting.
