Mumbai: The dilemma over who will be the chief ministerial candidate of the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) – the two major political alliances in the state, continues to embarrass both fronts. While on the one hand, the BJP says Eknath Shinde is the Mahayuti's CM face, on the other hand, it asks him to make 'sacrifices'. At the same time, wanting the MVA to also feel the pain and thus keep the political pot boiling, it asks that the MVA announce its CM candidate.
It all began with the news of a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah at a recent meeting with senior leaders of Mahayuti. He reportedly said that the BJP had sacrificed the CM post to forge an alliance with the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis On CM Candidate
On Wednesday, when Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was asked about it at a press conference, he said the ruling Mahayuti did not need to announce the candidate for the CM post, as the alliance had already designated Eknath Shinde for this position.
“Mahayuti doesn’t have to announce a CM face, our chief minister is sitting here,” Fadnavis said. Further, he had challenged the NCP SP chief, Sharad Pawar, to announce their CM face. Taking a further dig at the Opposition, he said, “Maha Vikas Aghadi is not announcing its CM face as it does not think it will have a CM after elections.”
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde On CM Candidate
CM Eknath Shinde, who was present at the press conference, said no one from Mahayuti was keen on the CM post. He claimed that “the development work by the Mahayuti in the last 2.5 years was the face of Mahayuti CM”. He also took a dig at the MVA, saying the latter should decide on its leader of the opposition face, not its CM face.
Statement Of BJP Chied Chandrashekhar Bawankule
BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, speaking to media persons in Nagpur, said he did not know what Home Minister Amit Shah had told Shinde but added that it was true that the position of the CM was the highest and represented the government.
“Common party workers feel that we (BJP) have the maximum MLAs, even if the CM post is Eknath Shindeʼs, posts in corporations and ministerial posts should be with the BJP,” said the leader.
Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogavale Reacts To Bawankule's Statement
Reacting to Bawankuleʼs statement, Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogavale said, “Just as they made sacrifices, we too have made sacrifices, which is why we received the CM position. This led to the formation of the Mahayuti government. If we want to bring the Mahayuti government back to power, it is essential for everyone to come together and work collectively.”
As for the MVA, while the Congress and NCP have refused to heed the demand of the Shiv Sena UBT chief, Uddhav Thackeray, his party cadre is firm on his candidature as CM.
