With the Exit Polls clearly giving the Narendra Modi-led NDA a thumping majority ahead of Thursday's counting, now NCP chief Sharad Pawar joins the bandwagon to establish connections among the other key Opposition players, as the latter believe that the BJP-led ruling alliance will fall short of the magic figure of 272 seats.
The Maharashtra politician has reached out to YSR Congress leader Jagan Mohan Reddy, TRS supremo and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and Odisha CM and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, reported NDTV.
Sources said that Pawar called up KCR and Naveen seeking their support if the Opposition gets a slim chance to form the government.
Sources also added that both Patnaik and KCR assured support to Pawar if the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has the required numbers to form a stable government with their support.
Pawar called the exit poll projections a nautanki (farce) on Monday, adding the "truth" will be out in two days when the final counting takes place on Thursday.
"There is a strange atmosphere in the country today. After 6 pm yesterday, there was a sense of unease after seeing all TV channels and newspapers."
"People have been calling me. I told them that an attempt is being made by those who control the electronic media to present a different view (through the exit polls). The truth will come out after two days (on May 23)," Pawar said at an iftaar event in south Mumbai."
The NCP chief also said that elections will come and go and someone is bound to win or lose.
"But I have never seen that after elections, those who shoulder the country's responsibility have left Delhi and gone to the Himalayas," Pawar said, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Kedarnath visit.
"There is 'nautanki' in politics also," he added further.
Pawar has also been reportedly in touch with TDP chief and Andhra CM Chandrababu Naidu, the other leader who has been meeting the key Opposition leaders since last weekend, including Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.
On Tuesday night, he also met Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and his father and JDS chief Deve Gowda, which has been in an alliance with the Congress for the last one year.
The sources said that Jagan was yet to return calls from the opposition, as he 'was unreachable'.
The YSR Congress chief, who is also being tipped to overthrow the TDP government in Andhra, along with winning a lion's share of the Lok Sabha seats, is being pursued by the NDA too, which is looking to keep some back-up alliance partners, in case they fall short of a majority.
Naveen reportedly admitted of receiving a call from senior Congress leader and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The two studied together in their Doon School days.
Naveen, who has maintained his stance of equidistance from both NDA and UPA, reportedly may support whoever "offers the best package" for cyclone-hit Odisha.
Exit polls Sunday forecast another term for Modi, with some of them projecting that the NDA will get over 300 seats to comfortably cross the majority mark of 272 in the Lok Sabha.