'NCP not to back BJP govt in Maharashtra if Sena pulls out'

The Sharad Pawar-led party describes the Delhi Assembly poll result as a defeat of "arrogance of power"

As Shiv Sena and BJP exchanged sharp words over the Delhi poll results, Sharad Pawar-led NCP said it will not extend support to the Devendra Fadnavis government if the former pulls out of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.

If Sena withdraws from the government, the BJP government would be reduced to a minority. However, NCP will not extend support to it in such a scenario, party spokesman Nawab Malik said today. He described the Delhi Assembly poll result as a defeat of "arrogance of power".

"The BJP-led Maharashtra government has failed to fulfill aspirations of farmers and the poor. People of the state want to get rid of this government. If Shiv Sena withdraws, NCP will help it to oust the government and it is ready to face fresh elections," Malik said. BJP and Sena have 121 and 63 MLAs respectively and their alliance enjoys comfortable majority in the 288-member Assembly.

In a landslide victory, AAP captured 67 seats in the Delhi Assembly poll while the BJP managed to win merely three seats.

BJP's humiliating debacle drew stinging barbs from ally Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who called it a "defeat" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi which showed the tsunami in the national capital was mightier than the "Modi wave".

Stung by the remarks, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar said Shiv Sena should walk out of the government before "pointing barbs" at Modi.