Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Mallikarjun Khadge
Bharat Gathbandhan has made its first move on the political chessboard of Maharashtra. Ahead of the assembly elections, Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (Sharad) have decided on the Chief Minister’s face and seat distribution formula. It is being said that Uddhav Thackeray will be the face of the Chief Minister from India Alliance in Maharashtra. However, no official announcement has been made by the three parties yet. Despite contesting the highest number of seats in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena finished second in India’s alliance. The party was decimated in Konkan and Thane, once Shiv Sena strongholds.
After this performance of Shiv Sena (UBT), there was suspense about Uddhav’s face. It was also said that the India Alliance will decide the face of the Chief Minister based on the electoral seats, but now the kind of decisions taken by the three parties before the elections have started many debates in Maharashtra politics.
First Debate- On which formula is India developing?
On Wednesday, a marathon meeting of Congress, Shiv Sena (Uddhav) and NCP (Sharad), the Indian coalition partners in Maharashtra, was held in New Delhi. First, Uddhav Thackeray met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. After this, Uddhav met Sharad Pawar.
According to what emerged from the meeting of the three parties, Uddhav Thackeray from Mahavikas Aghadi may become the face of the Chief Ministership in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Sharad Pawar and Rahul Gandhi agree on Uddhav’s name.
The seat distribution picture is also almost clear. It is being said that Congress will symbolically contest more seats in Maharashtra. Sharad Pawar’s party and Shiv Sena (UBT) may contest on equal number of seats. Seat distribution will be done at High Command level only.
All the three parties will have the same war room to coordinate the elections. Congress appointed MP Shashikant Senthil as war room in-charge in Maharashtra. It is also being said that the plan to form the government has also been discussed. If the government is formed, one each from Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP will be made Deputy CM.
After the marathon meeting on Wednesday, Uddhav Thackeray, in response to a question from reporters, said – If my colleagues think I have done a good job, ask them if they want to see me as Chief Minister?
Another discussion – why Uddhav Thackeray is the face of the Chief Minister?
1. Will get sympathy votes
In Maharashtra in 2019, Congress, Shiv Sena (United) and NCP (United) formed the government together. Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray was jointly given the post of Chief Minister by Congress and Sharad Pawar. Uddhav Thackeray was the first person from the family to hold a constitutional post.
Uddhav remained the Chief Minister of the state for almost 3 years. In 2022, there was a rebellion in the Shiv Sena under the leadership of Eknath Shinde and Uddhav had to resign from the post of Chief Minister. After this, Uddhav is raising this issue emotionally in Maharashtra.
Mahavikas Aghadi also benefited from it in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Mahavikas Aghadi won 29 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats. In such a situation, the coalition party wants to take sympathy votes in the assembly elections with the help of Uddhav.
India’s strategy is also to seek votes in the name of restoring the political status quo before 2022. This is the reason why Uddhav is being promoted as the CM face.
2. Not a universal leader
The Congress and Sharad Pawar’s party do not have a universally accepted leader to compete with Uddhav at the state level as a whole. Many leaders who had support in the Congress have left the party. Former CM Ashok Chavan’s name is also included in this. At present the present leaders within the party are confined to their respective areas.
Earlier, Ajit Pawar was the face of Sharad Pawar’s party, but after the coup, Ajit also took a different path. Sharad Pawar is out of the race due to age. His daughter Supriya is currently doing central politics. Jayant Patil and Jitendra Ahwad are the only big faces in the party, but neither of them have a huge base.
The absence of a universally accepted leader across Maharashtra between the Congress and the NCP (Sharad) has also given Uddhav the lead.
3. Accept Uddhav’s leadership
The Congress and the Sharad Pawar group have worked under Uddhav’s leadership in Maharashtra. Veteran leaders of both the parties were ministers in the Uddhav government. In such a situation, declaring Uddhav as a face will not create any discomfort among the leaders. On the other hand, Eknath Shinde is the Chief Minister and Bharat Gathbandhan is working on the strategy of making the entire election as Uddhav against Eknath.
Eknath’s influence is only in Thane and Konkan region. The India Alliance is working on a strategy to win across Maharashtra by calling the entire election a contest between two leaders.
Third Debate- Is this decision taken out of compulsion?
There is also talk of coercion in the political circles of Maharashtra to accept Uddhav’s leadership. It is being said that Uddhav Thackeray’s party could have fought alone or with the NDA if he had not announced the CM face.
Recently Uddhav and his son Aditya’s meeting with Devendra Fadnavis was in the news. Uddhav Thackeray’s party was included in NDA before 2019.
Maharashtra has a total of 288 assembly seats and any party or coalition needs to win at least 145 seats to form the government.
