Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar sharing same dais with arch rival Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde on the occasion of Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) polls has drawn many speculations.
Speaking on the occasion, Shinde yesterday said that Pawar sharing the dais with him and BJP leaders may give sleepless nights to some people. Although he did not name anyone, his remark was apparently directed at his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray.
The speculations are getting further strength as Sharad Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis appear to be agrreing about who should head the cricket body for the upcoming Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) elections.
Adding fuel to the already raging speculation of a Pawar-Fadnavis tie-up, RPI leader Ramdas Athawale said that Sharad Pawar has played a political googly at Uddhav Thackeray.
“Anything can happen in politics anytime and I have been saying this for a long time. These two are good players and they know their game well,” he said, as per media reports.
“Uddhav Thackeray will be bowled yet again with this googly. First, it was Eknath Shinde who bowled him out and now Pawar will bowl him out,” he added.
He also said that Sharad Pawar and NDA should be together.
'He should come with Narendra Modi. When I am here, why should he be there? It’s not OK,” he said.
The Congress party has already termed the move as a 'pre-planned' one and also stated conspicuously that it was done after the BJP, heeding the request of Pawar, withdrew its candidate from the Andheri by-poll.
Amid all these chaotic speculations, NCP, meanwhile, has maintained sangfroid and stated that the Pawar-Fadnavis association is only restricted within the realm of sports and not politics.
A close aide of Devendra Fadnavis, Amol Kale, is the consensus candidate for the Mumbai Cricket Association elections.