Maharashtra Assembly Election Results 2024: Who will be the next CM? Mahayuti and MVA components suggested different names

Even before the counting of votes in Maharashtra, differences have emerged between the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) over who will lead the next government and constituents of both the camps are staking their claim to the post of Chief Minister. .

After voting ended on Wednesday evening for the 288-member Assembly, the ruling and opposition fronts have started claiming that the mandate will be in their favor when the votes are counted on November 23.

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Soon after the voting, state Congress chief Nana Patole claimed that the MVA government would be formed in Maharashtra under the leadership of his party. He said that voting trends show that Congress will get maximum seats in the new assembly. His comments did not go down well with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), whose leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday insisted that the chief ministerial face would be decided jointly by all alliance partners after the MVA wins majority.

The Rajya Sabha MP said that if the Congress high command has told Patole that he will be the face of the CM, then national party president Mallikarjun Kharge and its top leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should announce it. The MVA comprising Congress, Shiv Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) and the Mahayuti comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP have expressed confidence that their respective alliances will form the next government after the counting of votes on Saturday.

While most exit polls have predicted that Mahayuti will retain power, some have favored the MVA. On behalf of Mahayuti, Shiv Sena MLA and party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said that the assembly elections were fought on the face of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Shirsat said, “Voters have shown their preference for Shinde through voting. I think it is Shinde's right and we are confident that he will be the next CM.”

BJP leader Praveen Darkekar advocated Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the top post. He said, “I think if anyone from BJP is becoming the Chief Minister, it will be Devendra Fadnavis.”

NCP leader Amol Mitkari put forward the name of his party chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar for the post. “Whatever the results, NCP will be the kingmaker,” Mitkari said.

When asked about the CM face, Fadnavis said all three Mahayuti parties will sit together and take a “good decision”. Speaking separately to reporters, BJP leader Darkekar, while claiming that the Mahayuti will form the next government, ruled out the possibility of the MVA coming to power and said the opposition faction suffers from “internal rifts”.

“The people of Maharashtra have given a clear mandate. The chief minister will be from the Mahayuti, not from the MVA and certainly not from the Congress,” he said.

Highlighting the divisions within the MVA, Darkekar said, “Congress MP Pranati Shinde and her father and former CM Sushil Kumar Shinde supported an independent candidate against Uddhav Thackeray's candidate in a constituency in Solapur district. These are internal The differences highlight the lack of unity. How can the parties decide on the Chief Minister without internal harmony?”

The BJP leader said Patole's aspirations to become chief minister were nothing but “Mungerilal's sweet dreams”. Darkar commented on exit polls, “While no exit poll is final, most have predicted a Mahayuti victory. Even (if winning) independent candidates are likely to support Mahayuti. ”

Taking a dig at Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bachchu Kadu, he said, “Kadu speaks very proudly, but his seat is in danger. He should first declare how many of his candidates are winning.”

Regarding Rahul Gandhi's statements on the Adani Group, the BJP leader quipped, “Rahul Gandhi should go to America and focus on foreign issues, where his comments can carry weight. His comments on the fall of the central government are childish and It is baseless.”

On the alleged involvement of NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MPs Supriya Sule and Patole in illegally using Bitcoin for elections, Darkar said the truth will soon come out. Both Sule and Patole have denied the allegations. “The ED investigation is exposing links with MVA leaders,” he said. The truth will come out soon.

Highlighting the increase in turnout in the November 20 assembly elections in the state, Darkar credited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for running a grassroots campaign to encourage voting. According to the Election Commission, the final turnout in the Maharashtra Assembly elections was 66.05 percent, compared to 61.1 percent in 2019. Darkar said that the 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' of the Mahayuti government is resonating among the women voters.