Shiv Sena (UBT) wants Uddhav Thackeray as CM candidate, MVA allies non-committal

Thane, India - May ,17, 2024: Uddhav Thackeray is seen at a rally in Thane masunda lake in Thane to campaign for Shiv Sena's UBT Thane Lok Sabha candidate Rajan Vichare ,in Thane, in Mumbai, India, on, Friday, May,17, 2024.

The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) could face an internal tussle over who will be the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate ahead of the assembly elections. While Shiv Sena (UBT) is pitching for its chief, Uddhav Thackeray, its two allies are not on board.

On Thursday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut advocated for Thackeray, saying, “Uddhavji was chief minister in the MVA government. People do remember the good work done by him.” Raut also reminded the Shiv Sena UBT’s allies that Thackeray led from the front during the Lok Sabha elections. “Several sections voted for the MVA looking at him,” he claimed.

However, the Shiv Sena UBT’s allies, the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (SP), haven’t bought this argument. “Any individual can express his opinion,” said Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, when asked about Raut’s comments. “A decision to this effect would be taken in a meeting of the three parties,” the Congress leader added.

State NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil, too, said the matter should be discussed during a meeting of the three alliance partners. His party colleague Rohit Pawar, meanwhile, told reporters that the MVA’s priority is to end the Mahayuti’s reign in the state, and not any particular post.

The three MVA allies fought the Lok Sabha elections largely in harmony, winning 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra. The ruling Mahayuti alliance could only win 17.

Reacting to Raut’s remarks, Thackeray said the MVA will declare its CM candidate at the appropriate time. “As of now, the Mahayuti government should declare the face behind its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, as all the parties in the ruling alliance are blaming each other,” he said.

Although Thackeray played down the matter, Raut’s comments were seen as an attempt by Shiv Sena (UBT) to start a discussion on the issue and make the party’s desire for the post clear so that its partners will have to take a stand during the seat-sharing talks.

Thackeray had to unceremoniously step down as chief minister in June 2022 after Eknath Shinde led a rebellion in the Shiv Sena and pulled down his government. Shiv Sena (UBT) is aiming to win the maximum assembly seats so that Thackeray can return as chief minister.

MVA leaders have been insisting that they will contest the assembly elections together, but the issue of who could be the face of the coalition could be a tricky one for them to handle.

Leaders from the Congress and NCP (SP) said they would prefer to contest the election without a chief ministerial candidate. However, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Congress general secretary in charge of Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala, and Thackeray are expected to make the final decision.

The Congress is also eyeing the top job as it won the maximum seats (13) among the three allies in the Lok Sabha elections. A few days ago, state Congress chief Nana Patole indicated the same, saying that his party was the “big brother” in the coalition.

A tiff between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) followed, before all three parties decided to put aside the matter. After a preliminary meeting in the presence of Pawar, MVA leaders announced that there would be no big or small brother in the alliance.

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