NCP chief Sharad Pawar is trying to do a balancing act again. After the Congress voiced its reservations, he skipped the BJD-Left rally in Bhubaneswar on April 3, but will now address a meeting with BJD chief Naveen Patnaik in Orissa on Wednesday.
And on April 10, he will address an election meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at Sakoli in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district.
Pawar has been blowing hot and cold for some time now and his prime ministerial ambition is no secret. That he backed out of the Third Front rally due to Congress pressure was apparent but his fresh move is aimed at sending a clear signal that he cannot be taken for-granted.
For him, the Congress’s dominance has been on the decline and regional parties have found their space. “One fact should be admitted. There was a period when Congress had spread to every nook and corner of the nation...But the picture has changed now. State-level parties are coming up and people have accepted them,” he told a rally at Yerawada recently.