MUMBAI, February 23: Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar on Monday made it amply clear that the state Congress would not go the Uttar Pradesh way and would instead prefer fresh elections. "We will prefer fresh polls and not encourage defection to wrest power from the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine in Maharashtra," he said at a crowded press conference here.With this, Pawar set at rest speculation regarding the toppling of the saffron alliance government in Maharashtra with the help of independent legislators and encouraging horse trading. "At present, our priority is to form a Congress government at the Centre," he added.
Pawar recalled the dismissal of the nine governments by the Morarji Desai government in 1977 on the ground that the ruling party in the respective states had not secured 50 per cent of the total seats. "BJP leaders LK Advani and AB Vajpayee were party to that decision which we will consider seriously after the formation of the Congress government at the Centre," he added.
Pawar said theCongress, in an alliance with the Republican Party of India and the Samajwadi Party, would improve its tally in Maharashtra. "The electoral alliance between Congress, RPI and SP, the strong resentment against the ruling saffron government, the entry of Sonia Gandhi in the election campaign and misuse of money, muscle and government power by the alliance are some of the major factors which will help the Congress-led alliance win more seats compared to 1996 polls," Pawar said. He alleged that the state government has betrayed the people who will vote against it this elections. Pawar said the state should also release the Srikrishna Commission report on the communal riots in 1992-93 immediately.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
