Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar (File photo)

NEW DELHI: BJP leaders remain confident of winning the trust vote in Maharashtra even as NCP chief Sharad Pawar strongly countered the claims made by his rebel nephew Ajit Pawar , who on Sunday reiterated that the “BJP-NCP alliance” shall provide a stable government for next five years.

A senior BJP leader said the decision to form the government was taken after “due diligence” that the exercise should go as planned and establish a majority. He said the gathering of NCP MLAs at venues arranged by NCP should not be mistaken as lack of support for Ajit Pawar. The legislators were trying to assess options but the junior Pawar was offering the “best” and most stable alternative, the leader added.

“A large number of NCP legislators see Ajit Pawar as the future party leader. However, they don’t want to defy the orders of Sharad Pawar outright and are seen with him. When it comes to voting, most MLAs will support Ajit Pawar,” the leader claimed. While there is no certainty in either camp over securing respective flocks with rumours and conspiracy theories flying thick and fast, BJP leaders said appearances could be deceptive.

BJP sources claimed that NCP legislators were very much in touch with Ajit Pawar and some of them were trying to convey to Sharad Pawar that the party’s future would be better with an alliance with BJP.

The NCP legislators, feel BJP managers, are doing their homework on the benefits of the prospective alliances. “In case of alliance government with Shiv Sena and Congress, positions will be divided among three parties where as if they go with BJP, only two parties will be there. Besides, Ajit Pawar is already deputy chief minister about which there was no clarity in the talks with Sena and Congress,” a source said. If BJP was in power at the state and Centre, the stability factor would increase.

BJP hopes the Supreme Court, moved by the opposition, will see that a floor test can’t be done in a day’s time since the House has not been reconstituted and the newly-elected MLAs are yet to take oath. “Pro-tem speaker’s job is to conduct oath only. After which, the speaker’s election will take place, which itself will decide which group enjoys majority,” another leader said.

After Fadnavis returned as chief minister, Shiv Sena claimed that the Sena-NCP-Congress combine had the support of 165 MLAs and could comfortably prove its majority in the assembly. BJP also claimed that Devendra Fadnavis had the support of 160-odd MLAs. These include Independents. The majority mark in the House of 288 is 145.

