Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024: As the Maharashtra Assembly elections approach, the contentious issue of the Chief Ministerial candidate for the Opposition alliance, Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA), has come to the forefront. The MVA, which aims to challenge the ruling MahaYuti government, is facing internal disagreements among its allies—the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and Shiv Sena (UBT)—regarding who should be the Chief Ministerial face.
When asked about the Chief Ministerial candidate for the MVA, Maharashtra Congress election in-charge Ramesh Chennithala said that no discussions have been held on this matter so far. He emphasised that the MVA itself is the face of the alliance for the elections, and the decision regarding the Chief Minister will be made only after the elections. "At present, we have not discussed on the face of the Chief Minister. MVA is our face and we are contesting the elections on this face. We have not had any discussion on the face of the Chief Minister and only after the elections, we will discuss who will be the Chief Minister," he said.
Sanjay Raut's big claim
Regarding the Chief Ministerial candidate for the MVA, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that the next government in the state will be led by Uddhav Thackeray. Raut emphasised that "Thackeray 2" refers to the continuation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. He claimed that even if opponents distribute money, launch schemes, or attempt to sway votes, Thackeray 2 will prevail. "Thackeray 1 government was also of Maha Vikas Aghadi, this time if the Thackeray 2 government will come, no one can stop it. No matter how much money you distribute, how many schemes you bring, try to buy votes when elections come, you will lose the election," said Raut.
The latest dispute over the Chief Ministerial candidate within the MVA alliance intensified following a recent three-day visit by Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to New Delhi. During his visit, Thackeray met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and NCP (SP) President Sharad Pawar.
Congress on CM face
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has advocated for presenting a clear Chief Ministerial candidate to effectively challenge the MahaYuti. However, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan is opposed to this idea, while NCP (SP) state President Jayant R Patil suggested that the MahaYuti should first announce its own Chief Ministerial nominee.
Chavan has reiterated his previous stance, which reflects the views of other leaders as well, that the party among the three main allies (Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena) that secures the most MLAs should be considered for the Chief Minister's position.
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