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Anything can happen in cricket and politics: Nitin Gadkari

Amid the apparent situation in Maharashtra where the BJP seems to be clearly loosing the plot even after coming out as the largest party after the state assembly elections, Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari likened politics with cricket.

Anything can happen in cricket and politics: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. (File Photo: IANS)

Amid the apparent situation in Maharashtra where the BJP seems to be clearly loosing the plot even after coming out as the largest party after the state assembly elections, Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari likened politics with cricket, saying “anything” could happen in both these fields as those who appear to be losing the match might actually win the game.

Gadkari’s statement came at a time when the BJP’s estranged ally Shiv Sena is making efforts to form the government with the help of the Congress and the NCP, its political rivals till recently.

The three parties have already prepared a draft common minimum programme (CMP) that will guide their prospective government.

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While addressing the audience at an event, he said, “Anything can happen in cricket and politics. Somewhere you feel that you are losing the match, but the result is ultimately the opposite, ”when asked about the current political situation in Maharashtra.

He was speaking at the ‘Outlook Business Leading Edge 2019’ event in Mumbai on Thursday.

The Minister of Road Transport, however, declined to discuss in detail the political crisis in Maharashtra, saying he spends more time in Delhi and doesn’t know much about politics in his home state.

Meanwhile, state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat told reporters on Friday, “In cricket, you can see the ball, but in politics you can’t, “while responding to a query on Gadkari’s remark.

Now the picture is clear in Maharashtra that the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress will form the government in the state and modalities are being finalised, “the three parties want to form a stable government which will be development-oriented” said NCP chief Sharad Pawar today. A Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government will be formed and it will complete five-year term he said as he ruled out the possibility of mid-term polls in Maharashtra which is currently under Presidents rule.

The BJP and Shiv Sena, which fought the October 21 state elections in alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats, respectively, in the 288-member Assembly. But they did not form the government because the Shiv Sena did not give up on its demand of 50:50 partnership in the government formation and the post of chief minister on rotational basis for 2.5 years for both the parties. The BJP on the other hand did not cede to the Sena’s demand of sharing the chief minister”s post, leading to falling apart of the nearly three-decade-old alliance.

The Congress and NCP won 44 and 54 seats, respectively, in the last month’s polls.

The Sena reached out to the Congress-NCP combine for government formation after its demand for sharing the chief minister’s post and equal distribution of portfolios was rejected by the BJP, its pre-poll ally.

President’s rule was imposed in the state on Tuesday after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari sent a report to the Centre, stating that formation of a stable government was impossible in the current situation despite all his efforts.
At a meeting on Thursday, the appointed leaders of the Congress, the NCP and the Sena prepared a draft CMP. Now it will be forwarded for approval to top leaders of the three parties.

The three parties will meet the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at 3 pm tomorrow to discuss about “governance failure” on the issue of farmers and rising unemployment, according to reports.

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