Mumbai: In a marked change from his earlier stand on the chief ministerial candidate, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has said that the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will announce their face for the top post after the ruling Mahayuti does so. Thackeray on Sunday slammed the BJP saying that the condition of the saffron party in the state is so bad that they have to contest polls under the leadership of thieves and traitors.
“BJP’s condition is so bad that they are forced to contest under the leadership of thieves and traitors... Let Mahayuti announce their CM face first, then we will let you all know who our CM face is. Being in government, Mahayuti should announce their CM face first,” the former Maharashtra CM said.
NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Nana Patole too supported Thackeray’s statement regarding MVA’s CM face. “Whatever Uddhav Thackeray said about the CM's face was quite clear and that is it,” Pawar said.
Patole said Thackeray has made the MVA’s position clear. “Our aim is to defeat the government and not the projection of a CM face,” the Congress leader said.
Thackeray’s stand is in stark contrast to this earlier demand that the MVA should announce its CM face before going to the polls. The MVA is a coalition of Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) faction.
The Sena (UBT) chief has been insisting that the MVA alliance should first declare its chief ministerial face in Maharashtra before going to the Vidhan Sabha polls rather than going by the logic of who wins most seats. In August, he had said he would back any candidate announced by the Congress and the NCP (SP) for the top post.
After the Congress’ defeat in the Haryana assembly polls, Thackeray had again raked up the issue reiterating he will support any CM candidate declared by the Congress and NCP (SP) in order to “save Maharashtra.”
However, his demand received a cold response from his alliance partners so far as both the Congress and the NCP (SP) have made it clear that any decision about the CM face would be taken only after the Vidhan Sabha poll results were out.
Thackeray and Pawar claimed that the people of Maharashtra are eager for a political change and that will be reflected in the outcome of the upcoming state assembly polls. The NCP(SP) chief said that the state administration, which was considered the best in the country, was demoralised under the Mahayuti regime led by Eknath Shinde.
“We want to make people free from the present government and I am confident they will support us. The MVA will repeat its Lok Sabha poll performance in the Maharashtra assembly election,” Pawar said.
