If NDA falls short, Sharad Pawar will play a key role

New Delhi, May 23: Claiming that the BJP-led NDA will fall short of a simple majority after the Lok Sabha poll results, the NCP Wednesday said party chief Sharad Pawar is playing a key role in the formation of an alternative regime.

NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik also said Pawar has repeatedly made it clear that he was not a claimant for the prime minister's post given his party's limited strength.

"We are sure there would be a hung House. The NDA is not going to get a simple majority," Malik told reporters.

"Pawar has repeatedly maintained he is not claiming the (prime ministerial) post, but he is playing a key role in formation of an alternative (coalition) government," he added.

The NCP and its ally Congress would secure more than 22 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra, Malik said.

The Pawar-led party will win the highest number of seats since its formation, he claimed.

The party's best performance so far is winning nine Lok Sabha seats (eight in Maharashtra and one in Meghalaya) in 2009.

The results of the Lok Sabha polls will be announced Thursday.

On the controversy surrounding Electronic Voting Machines, Malik said it was the responsibility of the Election Commission to create trust about them if doubts were being raised about their functioning.

"But more doubts are creeping into people's minds given the way the EC is acting," Malik added.