Congress walks NCP talk, predicts mid-term elections

Mumbai: Congress state president Ashok Chavan on Saturday predicted the possibility of mid-term polls in the state claming that the BJP-led government is losing support.

Following Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s statement of not backing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if Shiv Sena withdraws support for the government, Mr Chavan expressed support for the same. “The way the BJP-led government is functioning, the possibility of mid-term polls might become a reality. The BJP and Shiv Sena are losing ground in the state. BJP is talking about transparency in BMC now, but what about transparency in the rest of Maharashtra? We welcome Mr Pawar’s decision on not backing BJP if Sena pulls out. This also indicates the government might lose the majority. And we are fully prepared to face the mid-term polls. We are a big party and have a huge network,” Chavan said.

In an interview with The Asian Age, Mr Chavan said demonetisation will impact the polls as it had a negative effect on traders, small businessmen, and labourers. “Yesterday I met a delegation of traders who were upset over demonetisation. In the first phase of the local body polls, demonetisation did not have much impact. But as days passed, people have been facing the brunt. The Mumbai election will definitely reflect the impact of demonatisation,” he said.