On Friday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray urged the Election Commission to announce the Maharashtra assembly elections without delay, emphasizing that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) is ready to contest the elections as a unified front. Thackeray also expressed his disagreement with the notion that the party with the most MLAs should automatically receive the Chief Minister position.
“The Election Commission should announce the Maharashtra elections today; we are prepared. We will contest the elections together as Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. We will decide who should be the Chief Minister—whether it’s Prithviraj Chavan, Pawar Saheb, or another candidate. I will support whichever name is proposed,” Thackeray stated.
He further criticized the practice of awarding the Chief Minister’s post to the party with the most MLAs, based on past experiences with the BJP. “Our experience with the BJP in alliance showed that the party with the highest number of MLAs often undermines its allies to secure the CM post. Thus, I do not support the idea that the party with the most MLAs should automatically receive the Chief Minister position,” Thackeray added.
MUST READ: ISRO Milestone: Amit Shah Praises Successful Earth Observation Satellite-8 Launch
Aditya Thackeray, speaking on the occasion, urged the MVA cadre to unite and demonstrate the same strength they showed during the Lok Sabha elections. “We need to replicate the strength we showed in the Lok Sabha elections in the Assembly elections. When asked how we won without a Prime Minister, I explained that those claiming 400 seats were limited to half. If they had won, they would have undermined the Constitution. It’s not a false narrative; they began this in Maharashtra by sidelining a constitutional government. They disrespected our name and symbol. Let’s declare the elections today; we are ready to fight and win the Maharashtra assembly elections,” he said.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut described the MVA alliance as a “World Cup-winning team.” “MVA is a World Cup-winning team. We have won one match and will win another. The BJP today is not the same as when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in charge. Modi himself seems to have forgotten his stature; he’s hollow,” Raut remarked.
Senior leader and NCP patron Sharad Pawar also emphasized unity within the MVA bloc. “We must move forward together in the upcoming elections. Those who win seats for the MVA will have our full support as we progress together in the Maharashtra assembly elections,” Pawar said.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce the schedule for the assembly elections on Friday around 3 PM. However, it is not anticipated that the schedule for Maharashtra will be announced today. Elections are also due in Haryana and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Sources suggest that the Election Commission will announce the schedule for Haryana and J-K today. The schedule will include dates for filing nominations, polling, and declaring results. On August 14, the Election Commission held a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)