(L-R) Devendra Fadnavis current Deputy CM of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde, current CM, and Uddhav Thackeray former CM
Credit: PTI Photos
Mumbai: Whether the Maha Yuti retains control or the Maha Vikas Aghadi wins -- who will sit on the CM's chair is a critical question.
However, one thing that is clear is that both sides have multiple claimants and probables - collectively more than a dozen. Besides, there are already suggestions that there could be new permutations and combinations.
With less than a week remaining till November 23, when the counting of votes for the November 20 elections will be taken up, both sides have kept the cards close to their chests.
The MahaYuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP are contesting the polls under the “leadership” of Eknath Shinde, who is now the CM - and has decided not to project anyone specifically for the top post.
Shinde, who is the chief leader of the Shiv Sena, has two Deputy CMs - Devendra Fadnavis, who calls the shots for the BJP, and Ajit Pawar, who is the NCP President.
On the other hand, the MVA comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena (UBT), and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) are fighting the polls under a “collective leadership”. Thackeray was of the opinion that a CM face should be declared.
There is some “broad understanding”, however, that Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, as well as Pawar, a four-time former CM, decided not to go ahead with any names.
As far as MahaYuti is concerned, the leaders said that there has not been any discussions on this matter.
“To me who becomes the Chief Minister after the elections is not of much importance. The three alliance partners BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP have worked hard. Though we are three different parties, we are on the same page to carry forward the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Shinde said.
“All these would be decided after the polls,” said Ajit Pawar, who had made his CM ambitions known several times in the past.
“The CM post would not be decided as per numbers or the strike rate…the leadership of the three parties would sit together and decide,” said Fadnavis, a former CM and ex-Leader of the Opposition.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had dropped hints of Fadnavis being the choice.
“Around one-and-a-half-month ago, I toured Maharashtra…I went to Mumbai, Konkan, Western Maharashtra, North Maharashtra, Marathwada…wherever I went the feeling was that…Maha Yuti ki sarkar banani hai…Devendra Bhai ki vijayi banana hai (we have to make Maha Yuti government and make Fadnavis victorious),” said Shah recently.
However, a few days ago, BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde said: “The MahaYuti leaders would sit together to decide on the name for the CM's post. However, the experiment conducted in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh might also be applied here in the state. Nevertheless, in many places, the same candidates have been given another chance. Therefore, it will be essential to see in which direction the central leadership is thinking and how the numbers turn out in the results.”
As far as MVA leaders are concerned, they said the MahaYuti leaders should announce their CM first.
Shiv Sena (UBT), in its rallies, have hailed Thackeray as one of the best CMs.
From the NCP (SP) side, the natural choice is the NCP state President Jayant Patil or Pawar, the Chanakya of Maharashtra politics, could have some cards up his sleeve.
There are many in the race as far as Congress is concerned -- state Congress President Nana Patole, Leader of the Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, Congress Legislature Party leader Balasaheb Thorat, and former CM Prithviraj Chavan.
“Congress will become the single largest party and the CM will be from Congress,” said Chavan.
"We think that the chief minister should be from the Congress. So does every other party in the coalition. There is nothing unusual in this situation. The party with maximum seats would be able to stake a claim for the post," said Thorat.
So far, in Maharashtra, no lady has sat on the CM's chair.
Hence, surprises are not ruled out there either.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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