Sharad Pawar Rules Out Projecting CM Face for Maharashtra Polls
Mumbai: NCP founder Sharad Pawar on Saturday said the Maga Vikas Aghadi will face the Maharashtra Assembly elections under the “collective leadership”. He ruled out projecting a particular face as the chief ministerial candidate. This is a major jolt for the Shiv Sena (UBT), which is insisting that Uddhav Thackeray should be declared chief ministerial candidate ahead of the election.
Sharad Pawar-led NCP and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) are part of the MVA, which also includes Congress. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has argued that since Mr. Thackeray was the CM of the previous MVA government, which collapsed after Eknath Shinde’s revolt in June 2022, he should be projected as the CM face and it will benefit the alliance in the Assembly election.
Ruling out projecting a CM candidate of the alliance, Mr. Pawar said, “Our alliance’s formula will be the collective leadership. An individual cannot become MVA’s face.”
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that there is a risk in facing the election without a chief ministerial face. “Maharashtra has seen Uddhav Thackeray’s work as the CM and people liked him. It was one of the biggest reasons behind MVA’s success in the Lok Sabha elections. Obviously, all three parties contributed to the success. But the alliance without a chief ministerial face will not work (in the Assembly election),”he said.
In the recently held Lok Sabha elections, MVA won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats. Besides, Congress rebel Vishal Patil won the Sangli Lok Sabha seat as an independent. The BJP-led ‘Mahayuti’ was reduced to 17 seats.
However, the other MVA partners, particularly Congress, was miffed with Mr. Thackeray forcing his decisions on them. Mr. Thackeray had unilaterally announced 21 candidates of his party. Though the Congress did not like it, but accepted to contest 17 seats while the NCP (SP) was given only 10 seats. The Shiv Sena (UBT) was the worst performer in the MVA by winning only eight out of 21 seats it contested. Congress won 12 out of 17 seats while NCP (SP) won eight out of 10 seats.
The Congress and NCP (SP) have decided not to allow Mr. Thackeray to dictate his term for the Assembly elections.
Mr.Pawar also said that it was necessary to accommodate other parties like Aam Aadmi Party, Peasants and Workers Party, Samajwadi Party and left parties in the MVA for the Assembly election. He said that though these parties did not contest Lok Sabha polls, they helped the MVA in the elections.
