Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday (September 4) said that the selection of a chief ministerial candidate for Maharashtra will be decided after the Assembly elections and the decision will be based on which party within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance wins the maximum number of seats.
The former Union Minister clarified that there is no need for the MVA to announce a chief ministerial candidate ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, emphasising that the coalition will contest under collective leadership. His remarks come amid the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s push for Uddhav Thackeray to be the opposition alliance's chief ministerial candidate.
'Decision can be made based on numbers'
"There was no need for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to announce a chief ministerial face. The decision can be made based on numbers after the poll results," said Pawar.
The former CM said that he wants the MVA to finalise the seat-sharing process and begin the election campaign as soon as possible. "MVA leaders should sit for talks from September 7 to 9," he said.
He said he expects the election process to get over by the second week of November.
Pawar said the MVA should include Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) as well. "These parties have some pockets of influence in the state and they helped the MvA in the lok sabha elections," he said.
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.
Shiv Sena (UBT) on CM face
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.
Earlier, 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.
In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the undivided Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won 56 and 54 seats, respectively, while the Congress secured 44 seats.
(With PTI inputs)
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