New Delhi: The Maharashtra Assembly Elections will be a war of nerves. It will be a very complicated and tough battle. But once the results are out, a far tougher battle is on the cards. The battle for the Chief Minister’s chair.
Irrespective of who wins: whether the ruling alliance Mahayuti or the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the decision to choose the CM won’t be simple. It will be riddled with complexities. There is every likelihood of a political realignment following the results, like it happened in 2019, which set the stage for huge political upheaval two years later.
The situation is complicated because the claimants on both the sides are determined. To gauge the ambitions of both factions of the NCP is tough. Veteran leader Sharad Pawar is on one side, while on the other side is his nephew Ajit Pawar, who could be the “kingmaker” in these polls.
Within the Mahayuti, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena is keen to see its leader secure the top position again, with a number of surveys announcing his popularity. However, this may not be enough if the Mahayuti wins, as Devendra Fadnavis and his supporters would pounce on the situation.
In June 2022, Fadnavis backers were left peeved over what they considered as a lack of recognition and respect for their leader, despite his key role in helping the party to assume power. Initially, Fadnavis was not willing to accept the number 2 position and he accepted it only because he had to follow the directions issued by the party high command. An extra chair was needed for him to join Shinde on the stage during the oath-taking ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.
There is a buzz this time that the BJP’s main strategist, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is garnering support for Fadnavis. During a recent public rally, Shah pointed out that Maharashtra has immense “faith in Modi ji and Fadnavis ji”. Eknath Shinde was not mentioned.
If MVA comes to power…
But the far bigger drama will be played out if the Opposition MVA comes to power. In 2019, the BJP accused Uddhav Thackeray of breaking the alliance due to his resolute demand for the top position. This time, even although Thackeray has not voiced his intentions clearly, his allies do not think that he will back down from his claim.
However, a new claimant has emerged on the scene this time – the Congress with its 13 Lok Sabha seats. While Thackeray has time and gain called for the early announcement of the alliance’s chief ministerial face, Congress’s prominent leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has said that the party with the most MLAs will secure the top position.
Speculation is also rife that Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction may consider including the veteran leader’s daughter, Supriya Sule, in the contention if required.
