Uddhav meets Rahul in Delhi to firm up seat deal for Maharashtra polls
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray hinted on Wednesday at his readiness to be considered as the chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, expected in October. Thackeray made these comments following a meeting with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal and other INDIA bloc leaders in Delhi.
Accompanied by his son Aditya and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, Thackeray emphasised the growing discontent among Maharashtra’s farmers and youth with the BJP-led alliance. “The 13 crore people of Maharashtra are yearning for change,” Kharge tweeted post-meeting. Gandhi echoed this sentiment, asserting on WhatsApp that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will contest and win polls together.
Thackeray, who previously led the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress MVA alliance for two-and-a-half years before being ousted by the BJP, stated he had never aspired to be chief minister but was not one to shy away from responsibility. “If my colleagues in MVA believe I’ve performed well, they should decide if I should be their chief ministerial candidate. Ultimately, the people will decide,” he told reporters.
In the meeting, discussions revolved around seat allocation for the upcoming state assembly elections and the selection of a chief minister. “Congress leaders emphasised their demand for a greater number of seats in the state assembly due to their performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Consequently, Congress will contest more seats than Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar’s NCP. It was also agreed that the selection of the chief minister will occur post-elections. Therefore, during the elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi will present a collective leadership rather than an individual candidate,” stated a source.
Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole confirmed that the party will not be declaring a chief ministerial candidate ahead of the elections.
When pointed out that the trigger for the protests in Bangladesh was the government’s reservation policy, Thackeray emphasized that similar issues in India should be addressed through discussions in the Lok Sabha. The issue of reservations for the Maratha community and OBCs could become a bugbear for both the ruling Mahayuti and MVA.