The NCP on Tuesday said there was nothing wrong in Congress president Rahul Gandhi's statement that he is ready to become the prime minister if his party wins the maximum number of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which was part of the UPA government from 2004 to 2014, is expected to ally with the Congress again for the general elections next year.
NCP national spokesman Nawab Malik said there was nothing to object to Gandhi's statement.
"If people decide to entrust the Congress with the job of ruling the country, he (Rahul Gandhi) will be the prime ministerial candidate," he said.
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Malik said NCP party chief Sharad Pawar had ruled himself out of the prime ministerial race earlier since the party contests fewer seats and has a limited number of MPs.
Earlier on Tuesday, in Bengaluru, Gandhi said he is ready to become the prime minister if his party emerges as the "biggest" party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
"Well, it depends...It depends on how well the Congress does in the election...I mean if it emerges as the biggest party, yes," Gandhi said, when asked during an interaction if he would be the next prime minister.
(PTI)
