Every leader wants CM from his party: Sule on NCP leader Munde's remarks

Days after NCP leader Dhananjay Munde suggested that the next chief minister of Maharashtra will be from their party, NCP MP Supriya Sule on Monday said every leader wants a CM from their party and there is "nothing new" about it.

The NCP, headed by Sharad Pawar, is a key constituent of the Uddhav Thackeray-led ruling dispensation in Maharashtra, which also comprises the Shiv Sena and Congress.

When some reporters here asked about Munde's remarks, Sule said every leader, worker or follower of a party wants a CM from their organisation and of the same ideology.

"This is a common phenomenon, there is nothing new in it," she said.

To a query on the possibility of horse-trading for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Maharashtra, she said such a thing was "unfortunate", and nominees for six seats from the state should have been elected unopposed without the need for a contest.

The ruling MVA has fielded four candidates and the BJP has nominated three of its leaders for the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls to six seats from the state.

Sule said some MVA members had met senior BJP leaders and requested them to find a way out (to avoid a contest for the Rajya Sabha seats).

On speculations that some smaller allies of MVA may help the BJP's Rajya Sabha candidates , Sule said this issue should be taken seriously and the ruling alliance leaders should discuss it.

She was also asked if NCP MLAs Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik, who are currently in jail, would be allowed to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections.

"The two NCP leaders are in jail without doing anything wrong. We have faith in the judiciary and we believe that we will get justice. NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal is trying that both the leaders get an opportunity to vote."

Asked about dismissed police officer Sachin Waze turning an approver in a corruption case against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh, Sule said, "The person (Waze), who himself is facing allegations is becoming a witness, and the person (Deshmukh) who has no allegations against him, his residence had been searched 109 times.

"Have we seen something like this before? It is sort of a record," she said, claiming that central agencies were being "misused" by the Union government.

On some alleged objectionable comments recently made by state BJP legislator Gopichand Padalkar against NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Sule quipped that people keep criticising him as "there cannot be a headline without criticising Sharad Pawar".