Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought to pep up his cadre ahead of the 2014 lok Sabha polls, saying that the spectacular performance of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was “mere accident” and exhorting his party workers not to “lose hope”.
Speaking at his party office-bearers’ meeting organised to chalk out strategy for the forthcoming lok Sabha polls, Pawar said: “I would like to specially recall a similar phenomenon that the country witnessed in the past. In Assam, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta had contested, won the elections and became the Chief Minister at a very young age. But after that for the next 25 years, I didn’t hear his name again. So, such aapghat (accidents) happen in the country. You should not lose hope”.
In his address that came a day after AAP announced that it could contest as many as 300 seats across the country in the lok Sabha polls, Pawar asked his party cadre not to get disheartened or lose hope over the AAP wave and went on to cite three instances as to “how such political waves come and go”
Pawar exhorted his party to work towards translating NCP’s good showing in the assembly, zilla parishad, and municipal corporation elections into a higher seat tally for the lok Sabha polls.
Seeking to draw a distinction between Delhi Assembly polls and lok Sabha polls, Pawar said: “Delhi is a different story. The poll results of Delhi and those of the country have always been different. Janasangh was one of the earliest parties to win Delhi”.
Reiterating that he would not contest the 2014 lok Sabha polls, Pawar said that he would devote more time to strengthen the party apparatus.
“The party is likely to move a resolution stating that I should contest the lok Sabha, but I have expressed my displeasure. I have been winning elections for 47 years. I have decided to stop and work for the party.” He said that if required he would contest the Rajya Sabha polls.