Mumbai: Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said on Thursday that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will assume power after the state assembly elections and expressed “100% confidence” that the next chief minister of the state will be from his party.
The Congress leader’s statement is particularly significant given the Shiv Sena UBT's insistence on declaring the CM candidate for the assembly elections. During his Delhi tour in the first week of August, UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray held a series of meetings with the INDIA alliance partners along with AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party leader Sonia Gandhi and the leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi. The meetings were considered an attempt to convince the leaders of his nomination as the CM.
These meetings were seen as an effort to secure support for his nomination as the CM.
But, neither Congress nor the Sharad Pawar-led NCP has shown any keenness on declaring the CM candidate. A few days ago, addressing the members of the state pensioners organisation, Thackeray said he was dreaming of the CM's post, which was seen as mellowing down on his stand.
Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut had a few days ago said Thackeray would become the CM for the second time. When all-out efforts by Sena were proved futile, a statement by Thorat may come as a shocker for the party, say insiders.
It is also significant that Thorat himself is considered as the top contender for the post. Currently, the Congress has at least three contenders for the post - MPCC chief Nana Patole, former CM Prithviraj Chavan and Thorat himself. The Congress has already made it clear that Congress never announces a CM candidate where it is not in power.
