No place for NCP in NDA, says Maharashtra BJP

The speculation started when senior NCP leader and Union Minister Praful Patel said that BJP would emerge as the single largest party and the country should have a "stable" government which will "decisively govern".

After the exit of Trinamool Congress and DMK, NCP is the biggest ally of Congress in the UPA. The two parties have been sharing power in Maharashtra since 1999.

Congress sources said the love-hate relationship between Congress and NCP will continue and there would be no realignment of political forces in the state irrespective of tomorrow's results.

"Both Congress-NCP and Shiv Sena-BJP know that they have to swim together or sink together as both sets of partners are unable to chart out their own different, ideologically oriented political paths," a political observer said.

Sources said that NCP chief Sharad Pawar will face opposition from state Sena-BJP leaders if he seeks to enter the NDA camp.

"In fact, Congress should now deliberate on how its prospects suffer due to NCP, and what can be done to improve or maintain its performance in the coming Assembly elections," a Congress source said.