‘Not in favour of party with maximum MLAs getting CM post’: Uddhav Thackeray on MVA candidate

Maharashtra assembly elections 2024: Uddhav’s big claim on CM post

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that his party is not in favour of the formula that the party with maximum MLAs will have its Chief Minister. He also said that during 25 years of the alliance between the undivided Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), where both the allies ended up bringing down each other’s candidates to get the CM post.

“Because in the last elections, with the BJP in alliance with us, we have experienced that to get the maximum number of MLAs, the allies themselves try to put other ally candidates down. So, I will not favour the party with the most number of MLAs getting the CM post,” Thackeray was quoted as saying by newswire ANI.

Earlier in the day, Thackeray said that Shiv Sena (UBT) will unconditionally support any Chief Ministerial candidate announced by the Congress and NCP(Sharadchandra Pawar) in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections.

He also said during a meeting of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) office bearers that the assembly elections will be a fight to protect the self-respect of the state.

“There have been speculations about the CM face of MVA. I appeal to all leaders of the alliance, whether it’s Prithviraj Chavan or Sharad Pawar, to announce their choice for CM, and I will support them unconditionally,” the former Maharashtra CM said.

He also urged MVA allies to first announce the CM face and then begin the election campaign. He also took aim at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and said: “Even if they have stolen my ‘Bow and Arrow’ symbol, I have taken the ‘Lighting Torch’ as a symbol to set their backs on fire.”

In February 2023, the Election Commission assigned the ‘Shiv Sena’ party name and its bow and arrow symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction, which had broken away and allied with the BJP to form the state government in 2022.

Thackeray also targeted the BJP, accusing the saffron party of breaking up the undivided Shiv Sena and NCP. He also said that the Congress is “fortunate enough” to have retained its symbol. “Now, Congress’ hand will hold our ‘Mashaal’ and the ‘Maavla’ of the NCP will blow the trumpet of our victory,” he said.

Meanwhile, the ECI did not announce the polling schedule for Maharashtra in its press conference today. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said that Maharashtra elections will be announced later due to security requirements for Jammu and Kashmir.

Polls are likely to take place in Maharashtra later this year.