Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024: Sharad Pawar's Remark on CM Post Creates Stir Within Mahavikas Aghadi

Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2024, political temperatures are rising, particularly within the Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar's recent comment regarding the Chief Minister's post has stirred discussions among the opposition alliance members.

During an event in Kolhapur, Sharad Pawar stated that the Chief Minister would be chosen based on the strength of the numbers, which caused a ripple within the MVA. Pawar’s statement was supported by Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole, who echoed his sentiments, saying, "What Sharad Pawar said is absolutely right. We will go into the election as the Mahavikas Aghadi, and our strength as the MVA will decide the CM. We will decide on the Chief Minister later."

This stance indicates that both Pawar and Patole are not keen on announcing Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Ministerial face before the elections, even though Thackeray's faction of the Shiv Sena (UBT) has been advocating for his candidacy.

Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) has been pushing for his nomination as the MVA's CM candidate, but the latest remarks by Pawar and Patole have cast doubts on this, with political observers waiting to see how Shiv Sena (UBT) responds to these developments.

Uddhav Thackeray’s Previous Comment

Uddhav Thackeray, too, has previously hinted at his interest in the CM post. In a recent statement, he had taken a dig at Congress and NCP, suggesting that if either party has a face for the CM post, they should announce it, and his party would support it.

The battle in Maharashtra will be between the Mahavikas Aghadi and the ruling coalition, Mahayuti, which includes the BJP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena, and Ajit Pawar’s faction of the NCP. There is speculation that Shinde will once again be the Chief Ministerial face of the ruling alliance, although internal discussions within the BJP are still ongoing regarding this.

The state’s 288 assembly seats are expected to go to polls in October-November 2024, making this political contest one to watch.