As Maharashtra waits with bated breath for the Election Commission’s declaration of results for all 288 assembly seats on November 23, the contest for the Chief Minister’s post has become a bone of contention among both the ruling Mahayuti and opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliances. As the counting of votes continues, internal fissures have begun to surface as leaders from both the camps put in claims for the leadership of the next government that brews- ready-to-trip internal fractions open.
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MVA’s Chief Ministerial Fight
In the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the contention over who will sit on the Chief Ministerial chair has increased in intensity. Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole sparked fire by asserting with great confidence that if the Congress party manages to get enough seats, it will hold the position of the alliance government’s chief. According to Patole, voting patterns reveal that Congress can emerge as the single largest party in the coalition.
However, the alliance partner Shiv Sena (UBT) is opposing Patole’s claims. Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said any decision on who would become the Chief Minister would be taken by all the partners collectively, adding that it is too premature for any party to make its leader projection without mutual consensus. “If Patole has been chosen, Congress’s central leadership, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, or Rahul Gandhi, should formally announce it,” said Raut.
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The MVA—Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Sharad Pawar faction of NCP—is placed as a united front against the Mahayuti; however, this has been reflected in statements that purportedly expose cracks, making it difficult to predict whether such a serious coalition can sustain its unity with the mounting pressure.
Leadership Crisis in Mahayuti
Another ruling party, the Mahayuti coalition of the BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction), and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction), is also facing conflicting intransigence on leadership from internal factions. Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat repeated his argument that the alliance had contested the election with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the helm, thereby making him the natural choice for the second term.
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On the other hand, BJP leader Pravin Darekar and NCP’s Amol Mitkari proposed other candidates. Darekar supported Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis by his administrative experience and mass appeal, while Mitkari supported Ajit Pawar by advocating that the leadership will make the alliance even stronger.
Darekar termed the chances of the MVA to form a government as a “bust,” citing the infighting within the coalition, such as Congress MP Praniti Shinde’s move to support an independent candidate instead of a Shiv Sena (UBT) nominee in Solapur. In those incidents, according to Darekar, deeper ideological and strategic chasms in the opposition bloc are revealed.
Exit Polls and Controversies
In contrast, some of the exit polls have been supportive of the Mahayuti, while others show greater favor for the MVA. However, both alliances are optimistic about their prospects. The Mahayuti, for one has scuttled exit poll predictions and emphasized its grassroots support as well as even independent winners’ potential backing.
Allegations of malpractice further heated the political environment. Mahayuti leaders alleged that the politicians in MVA, NCP MP Supriya Sule and Congress’s Nana Patole, were using illegal activities like bitcoin transactions for the polls. However, Sule and Patole strongly disapproved of them, saying it is baseless and politically motivated.
Higher Voter Turnout and Women’s Support
Maharashtra assembly election 2024 Maharashtra assembly election saw a remarkable surge in voting percentages as 66.05% of the registered electorate cast their ballots, whereas only 61.1% did so in 2019. Mahayuti leaders have credited the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with the collection of villagers’ votes at the grassroots level.
Another key reason cited is the increasing support of women voters, which the Mahayuti attributes to popular government schemes like Ladki Bahin Yojana. BJP leaders claim such initiatives have resonated deeply with women and thus reinforced support for the ruling coalition.
A Fierce Battle for the CM’s Chair
The contest for Maharashtra’s top political prize will, meanwhile, be every bit as closely fought as the elections themselves at the declaration of results. For the MVA, unity in the face of competing ambition may prove decisive. The Congress’s claims for the Chief Ministerial post may alienate some of its own partners, particularly the Shiv Sena (UBT), which keeps telling itself it’s an equal stakeholder.
For Mahayuti, it is going to be just as tough for every party to present a united front while fighting for its candidate. Incumbency definitely goes in favor of Shinde; however, Fadnavis possesses greater political acumen while Pawar’s influence within this alliance is increasing by the day.
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