Maharashtra polls: Majeed Memon hopeful about NCP, singles out Modi factor for BJP surge

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Majeed Memon on Sunday maintained that while his party's poll prospects in Maharashtra will improve as the day progresses; Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aggressive campaigning in state has helped to give the BJP a lead.

"We were saying right from the beginning, it is not going to exceed the half-way mark, and they (BJP) will have to depend upon somebody. As a matter of fact, save for Narendra Modi's magic, they have nothing else in the BJP, they did not have any organizational strength, rhey did not have candidates; more than fifty people had been imported. They had no leaders save and except the Prime Minister. So therefore, they had to stop somewhere near 100," he told ANI here.

The NCP leader expressed the hope that his party's tally would gradually improve, but acknowledged that Prime Minister Modi has been a factor that has swayed the voters somewhat in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJPs) favour in the state elections.

"The NCP is expected to be further improving its position as time passes. I think it is Sharad Pawar's performance in Maharashtra over the decades, his reach, our party's penetrative approach, our organization, everything works. It's only that some kind of a drawback that we are suffering because of the Modi wave, but I think that we shall still emerge stronger," he said.

"Our strategy would be that appreciating the Maharashtra people's mandate, we would see what lies best in the interest of the people of Maharashtra, we shall accordingly be acting," he added.

When asked as to what will be his party's stand as the BJP would need some ally to form the next state government, the NCP leader said, "Let us wait and see what are the final figures, and what is the requirement of the BJP, and then things will be decided. But, we are going to adopt our strategy only with top priority to the interest of the people of Maharashtra. Let us wait till afternoon, it is only after then, that it will be decided."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) established early leads in Maharashtra on Sunday, as the counting of votes for the selection of representatives for the state assembly got underway amidst tight security.

In Maharashtra, the political future of 4,119 candidates vying for one of the 288 member Maharashtra Assembly seats will be decided.

As far as early trends in Maharashtra are concerned, reports indicate that the BJP is leading in 106 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 44, Shiv Sena in 52, NCP in 39, MNS in 3 and others in 21 seats.

In Maharashtra all major parties like the BJP, Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena (MNS) are contesting alone this time.