The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Friday said the people have asked his party to sit in the Opposition and it will do so. His comments are significant in light of recent speculation that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Shiv Sena might join hands with NCP and Congress to form the government in Maharashtra.

The NCP chief dubbed the power tussle for chief minister’s post between BJP and Shiv Sena as “childish”. NDA coalition constituents BJP and Shiv Sena together contested the Maharashtra Assembly elections 2019 winning 105 and 56 seats respectively in the 288-seater Assembly. Both NCP and Congress improved their 2014 tally bagging 54 and 44 seats respectively.

Pawar clarified there was no talk of his party lending support to Shiv Sena to form the government in the state. "We do not have a clear majority. People have asked us to sit in the opposition. We accept that mandate and will take care that we play that role effectively," he said.

Pawar’s statement comes shortly after Shiv Sena veteran Sanjay Raut said the Shiv Sena can form a stable government anytime it wants amid bickering with BJP over chief minister’s post.  

“If the Shiv Sena decides, it will get the required numbers to form a stable government in the state. People have given the mandate to form the government on basis of 50:50 formula that was pitched in front of the people of Maharashtra,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai on Friday.

He added, “If Uddhav Thackeray has said the Chief Minister will be from Shiv Sena, take it in writing that it will be from Shiv Sena.”

Just a day earlier Raut had met rival NCP chief Pawar in Mumbai sparking setting the rumour mill abuzz amid infighting in Maharashtra NDA. Though the Shiv Sena leader termed it a “courtesy visit”, the meet sparked rumours of a political overdrive in the state.