Uddhav Thackeray says Sharad Pawar taught him how to form govt with few MLAs

Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray formed the government in Maharashtra after the BJP, which was the single largest party, failed to cobble up a majority.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray (centre) with cabinet ministers Jayant Patil of the NCP (left) and Balasaheb Thorat of the Congress | ANI

Pune: NCP chief Sharad Pawar has taught him how to grow more from less as well as how to form government after getting fewer seats than one’s rival, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Wednesday.

Thackeray was addressing the annual general meeting of the Vasantdada Sugar Institute here. Pawar, who is the chairman of the institute, was also present.

During his speech, Thackeray took a dig at former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has often stated that the BJP is the single largest party in the Assembly, though it lost power.

“Sharad Pawar has taught us how to grow more from less area of land, and also how to form government with less number of MLAs,” Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena, quipped.

The BJP and Sena fought the October 21 assembly polls in together, but their alliance collapsed after the Sena walked out and joined hands with the Congress and NCP.

The three parties formed an unlikely coalition government of which Pawar is considered the chief architect.

Thackeray also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“I was told that this was the same venue where someone had said he came into politics holding Pawar’s finger.

“I don’t want to say that Pawar saheb has made another mistake by bringing me into politics,” he said.

Modi had said at a function at the institute some years ago that Pawar, then agriculture minister in the UPA government, guided him a lot when Modi was Gujarat chief minister and was unfamiliar with Delhi politics.