After BJP-Shiv Sena, NCP 'most accepted' party in Maharashtra: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said his party was "most accepted" among the people after the BJP and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.

"The current scenario is that except the ruling parties -- Shiv Sena and BJP -- NCP is the most accepted party in the state. People of Maharashtra have showered love on us," Pawar said at a meeting of newly elected NCP legislators here.

Pawar's statement comes a day after party leader Prafull Patel ruled out the possibility of extending support to either BJP or Shiv Sena in the state.

"The atmosphere was different during 2014 Assembly polls and is different now in 2019. That time, all parties were contesting elections on their own. But this time we fought elections with our alliance partners and will go ahead with them. NCP will not support BJP," he had said.

The statements come amid a prevailing deadlock over the government formation in the state, with the Shiv Sena demanding the implementation of the 50:50 formula, which was proposed by the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.