Will Jayant Patil of the NCP be the Chief Ministerial face of the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA)? NCP chief Sharad Pawar hinted at this on Wednesday. Pawar's statement created confusion among the MVA alliance parties, all of whom are keen on the CM's post. However, opposition parties criticised Pawar, accusing him of greediness for the CM position.
UBT MP Sanjay Raut also remarked that the names of Rohit Pawar and Supriya Sule were in the race for the CM post. He questioned, "How can one party declare five CM candidates?"
NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar, known for his strategic political moves, threw a "googly" regarding the CM face issue within the MVA on Wednesday. While addressing the closing ceremony of the 'Shiv-Swarajya Yatra' in Islampur, Sangli, Pawar praised NCP SP state president Jayant Patil. "He announced that Patil would be given bigger responsibilities in the state. I am entrusting Patil with the responsibility to lead Maharashtra forward and shape the state’s future. Patil has been working hard for the party, traveling across the state, and gaining the trust of the people. The youth and the people will stand behind him to build the Maharashtra we dream of. It is our wish that a leader like Patil should take on the responsibility of balancing and developing tomorrow's Maharashtra."
Pawar added, "We all should support him. As a senior leader of the party, I would say the step toward shaping tomorrow's Maharashtra will begin here in Islampur, which is Jayant Patil's constituency."
Meanwhile, Jayant Patil, while speaking to the media, said, "As the state president of the NCP SP, I bear the big responsibility of winning the maximum number of seats in the assembly election."
UBT MP Sanjay Raut responded, saying, "If Sharad Pawar is giving such hints, then we will discuss it within the MVA. Pawar doesn't make hints unless he intends to act. In the past, he announced that he would give significant responsibility to Rohit Pawar. Additionally, the names of Supriya Sule and Jitendra Awhad have also been mentioned for the CM post. How can there be 4-5 candidates for the CM position from one party?" asked Raut.
Raut further said that the issue of the CM face would remain a topic of discussion until the election concludes for both the MVA and the Mahayuti. Suggesting Uddhav Thackeray's name as CM, Raut said, "The entire nation knows on whose face the people of Maharashtra will vote in the assembly election."
Interestingly, on Thursday, Sharad Pawar, while speaking to the media, said, "There is no point in discussing the CM post at this stage in the MVA. We (MVA) made our stance clear at Sunday's event where the 'Panchnama of Mahayuti' was declared."
Shiv Sena MLA and Speaker Sanjay Shirsat commented, "There is no unity among MVA leaders. Sharad Pawar said that the decision on 200 seats was finalized, while Congress stated that discussions on 220 seats were finished." Shirsat further added, "Jayant Patil is excellent at his work. He performs his duties diligently, and Sharad Pawar doesn’t want him to leave the party. Pawar might fear that Jayant Patil, being a sweet talker, could deceive him. Therefore, Pawar may have decided to place more responsibility on Patil's shoulders."
BJP State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule commented, "Our intention is to provide good governance to the 14 crore people of Maharashtra. We want to develop Maharashtra, while the MVA is only interested in the CM post. I would say the MVA is greedy for the CM post; they are not concerned about the citizens of the state."
