Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar on Wednesday reiterated his stand that the BJP and Shiv Sena should come together to form the government in Maharashtra and that the people’s mandate wants his party to play the role of opposition.

With the political impasse in Maharashtra entering its 13th day today and just two days to the deadline for government formation, Pawar said, “I don’t have anything to say yet. BJP and Shiv Sena have got the mandate of people, so they should form the government as soon as possible. Our mandate is to play the role of Opposition”.

He also brushed aside speculation that the Shiv Sena could walk out of the NDA and form the government with help from the NCP and the Congress.

“Where is the question of a Shiv Sena-NCP government? They (BJP-Shiv Sena) are together for the last 25 years; today or tomorrow they will come together again,” Sharad Pawar said, adding that there is no other option to avoid President’s rule other than the BJP and Sena coming together.

On Raut’s claim that the Sena has the support of 170 members, Pawar made it clear that the calculation did not include his party and the Congress.

“Even I want to ask Sanjay Raut how he will get 170,” Pawar said.

His remarks came after Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut met him for the second time on Wednesday after the Assembly polls, fuelling speculations of the NCP teaming up with the rival Sena.

Pawar said that in his meeting with Raut, they discussed about the upcoming Rajya Sabha session. “There are some issues we discussed on which we can have a similar stand.”

Amid the political standoff in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut met NCP President Sharad Pawar and held a brief discussion on the situation.

After his meeting with the NCP chief, the Sena leader said that Pawar is “worried” about the political situation in Maharashtra.

Earlier in the day, Sanjay Raut had said that the BJP and Shiv Sena will only have discussions on the proposal that they had agreed upon before the assembly polls, and stressed that “no new proposals will be exchanged now”.

“Our alliance was formed on the basis of an agreement over the chief minister’s post. It was a one-line agreement that was decided before we fought elections together…why waste time talking of a new proposal,” Sanjay Raut questioned while speaking to reporters.

“Talks will only be on the proposal that was already discussed. If there is President’s Rule in Maharashtra, it will be unfair to the people. We will not be responsible for President’s rule,” Raut said, showing no softening of Sena’s stand with the deadline nearing. “Those conspiring to do this are insulting the people’s mandate,” he added.

The ongoing tussle has delayed formation of a government, a Constitutional obligation that has to be fulfilled before November 9 when the term of the current Legislative Assembly comes to end.

The Sena and the BJP are locked in a tussle since the Uddhav Thackeray-led party raised demand for the chief minister’s post on a rotational basis and implementation of a “50:50 power-sharing” formula, which entails equal allocation of ministerial portfolios. The BJP has rejected both the demands.