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The ongoing political discourse in Maharashtra has been dominated by the upcoming state assembly elections, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), and Congress, strategizing for their campaign. In a significant development, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has declared that the MVA does not need to announce a chief ministerial candidate before the elections. He believes that the decision on who will assume the post can be made after the results are declared, based on which party in the alliance secures the highest number of seats. This stance has sparked debate within the alliance, particularly given the recent call by Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray for a pre-election announcement of the CM face.
During a meeting of MVA office-bearers, Thackeray expressed concern about potential infighting within the alliance and argued that pre-emptively announcing the CM face would help mitigate such issues. He also assured his alliance partners of his support for their chosen candidate. However, Thackeray's experience with the former ally, BJP, has led him to caution against the practice of deciding the CM based solely on the number of seats won. He pointed out that in previous elections, seat-sharing discussions often included the understanding that the CM would be from the party with the majority, leading to calculated efforts to ensure that the alliance partner did not win a significant number of seats. This strategy, according to Thackeray, could potentially lead to internal tensions and undermine the overall objective of winning the elections.
Despite Thackeray's concerns, the Congress and NCP (SP) leaders remained silent on the matter during the meeting. It remains to be seen whether Pawar's perspective on the CM face declaration will prevail or if the MVA will eventually announce a candidate before the elections. The upcoming talks between the alliance partners, scheduled for September 7-9, will likely be crucial in determining the final strategy for the elections. Pawar has emphasized the importance of finalizing seat-sharing arrangements and kickstarting the campaign as soon as possible. He has also advocated for including the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), CPI, and CPM in the talks, recognizing their influence in specific regions of the state and their previous support for the MVA during the Lok Sabha elections. The MVA's decision on the CM face and their overall strategy will have significant ramifications for the upcoming elections, as they seek to retain power in Maharashtra.
Source: 'No need for MVA to declare CM face': Sharad Pawar on Uddhav's plea