Who will be next CM of Maharashtra? Mahayuti, MVA jostle as counting day nears

The counting of votes for Maharashtra elections 2024 is scheduled for November 23, Saturday. And yet, fissures have emerged within the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camps on who would be the next chief minister of Maharashtra.

The constituent partyies in both the camps are laying claim over the chief minister’s post after the polling for the 288-member assembly ended on November 20.

In the Assembly elections, The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance made a determined bid to retain power and the opposition MVA coalition hoped to continue its good showing in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.

The exit polls released on Wednesday evening have predicted that the ruling Mahayuti may return to power in the state. The Mahayuti comprises of Shiv Sene faction led by Chief Miniser Eknath Shinde, the Bhartiya Janata Party and the NCP faction led by Ajit Pawar. The MVA has the Shiv Sena faction led by Uddhav Thackeray, the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar and the Congress in the camp.

Soon after polling, state Congress chief Nana Patole exuded confidence that the MVA will form the next government in Maharashtra under the leadership of the Congress party. Voting trends suggest the Congress will get the maximum number of seats in the new assembly, he said.

Patole’s remarks seeongly didn’t go down well with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), whose leader Sanjay Raut insisted on November 21 that the chief ministerial face will be decided by all alliance partners jointly once the MVA secures majority. The Rajya Sabha MP said if the Congress high command has told Patole that he will be the CM face then national party’s president Mallikarjun Kharge, and its top leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should announce the same.

On the Mahayuti side, Shiv Sena MLA and party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said the assembly elections were contested with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the face.

“Voters have shown their preference for Shinde through voting. I think it is Shinde’s right (to be the next CM) and we are confident that he will be the next CM,” Shirsat said.

BJP leader Pravin Darekar batted for Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the top post. “I think if anyone from the BJP is becoming the CM then it will be Devendra Fadnavis,” he said.

NCP leader Amol Mitkari pushed the name of his party chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar for the coveted job. “Whatever the results, the NCP will be the kingmaker,” Mitkari said. Asked about the CM face, Fadnavis maintained all three Mahayuti parties will sit together and take a “good decision”.

Speaking to reporters separately, BJP leader Darekar claimed the Mahayuti will form the next government and dismissed the possibility of the MVA coming to power and said the opposition bloc was plagued by “internal rifts”.

If the Congress high command has told Patole that he will be the CM face, then it should be announced by top leaders.

“The people of Maharashtra have given a clear mandate. The Chief Minister will be from the Mahayuti, not the MVA, and certainly not the Congress,” he asserted. Highlighting divisions within the MVA, Darekar said. The BJP leader said Patole’s aspirations to become chief minister was nothing but “Mungerilal ke haseen sapne” (daydreaming).

The people of Maharashtra have given a clear mandate. The Chief Minister will be from the Mahayuti, not the MVA, and certainly not the Congress.