Even as the first votes are being counted in Maharashtra, fissures have emerged within the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on who will head the next government with constituents in both camps laying claim over the chief minister's post.
After polling for the 288-member assembly ended on Wednesday evening, the ruling as well as opposition fronts have started claiming that mandate will be in their favor when votes are counted on November 23.
Soon after polling, state Congress chief Nana Patole asserted an MVA government would be formed in Maharashtra under the leadership of his party.
The voting pattern indicates that the Congress shall garner the maximum number of seats in the new assembly, he said. His remarks did not go down well with ally Shiv Sena (UBT), whose leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday insisted the chief ministerial face will be decided by all alliance partners jointly once the MVA secures majority.".
This Rajya Sabha MP added that if the Congress high command has indeed told Patole that he will be the CM face, then the national party's president Mallikarjun Kharge, and its top leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should state so.
The MVA, consisting of the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) and the Mahayuti, comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP, have expressed confidence that their respective alliance will form the next government after votes are counted on Saturday.
While a majority of exit polls have declared that Mahayuti will continue to rule, a few have been more friendly to the MVA. Chief spokesperson of Shiv Sena and MLA Sanjay Shirsat said the assembly elections were fought with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at the face of the election.
Voting has shown that the preference is with Shinde, said Shirsat. I believe it is the right of Shinde to become CM and we are confident that he will be the next CM, he added.
At the same time, BJP leader Pravin Darekar spoke in favor of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for the CM's position.
I think if anybody from the BJP is becoming the CM, then it will be Devendra Fadnavis," he said. NCP leader Amol Mitkari pushed the name of his party chief and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar for the coveted job. Whatever the results, the NCP will be the kingmaker, Mitkari said.
Asked about the CM face, Fadnavis maintained all three Mahayuti parties will sit together and take a "good decision". Speaking to reporters separately, BJP leader Darekar claimed the Mahayuti will form the next government, dismissing the possibility of the MVA coming to power, and said the opposition bloc was plagued by internal rifts.
The people of Maharashtra have given a clear mandate. The chief minister will be from Mahayuti and not MVA, and certainly not the Congress, he asserted.
Divisions within the MVA were highlighted by Darekar who said, "Congress MP Praniti Shinde and her father and former CM Sushilkumar Shinde fielded an independent candidate against Uddhav Thackeray's nominee in the constituency in Solapur district. These internal rifts expose lack of unity. How can parties without internal coherence decide on a Chief Minister?""
The BJP leader said Patole's aspirations to become chief minister were nothing but "Mungerilal ke haseen sapne" (daydreaming).
On exit polls, Darekar remarked, While no exit poll is final, most have predicted a Mahayuti win. Even independent candidates (on winning) are likely to back Mahayuti.
Taking a swipe at the Prahar Janshakti Party leader Bachchu Kadu, he said, Kadu speaks with grand bravado, but his own seat is under threat. Let him first declare how many of his candidates are winning.
The BJP leader quipped that Rahul Gandhi should go to the US and focus on issues abroad, where his commentary might hold weight. His remarks on the fall of the Union government are childish and baseless.
On the alleged involvement of NCP (SP) Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule and Patole in using bitcoins illegally to fund elections, Darekar said that truth will out soon.
Both Sule and Patole have denied the allegations.
The ED's probe is now revealing connections to MVA leaders, he stated. Truth will come out soon, he added. Hailing the rise in turnout in the November 20 assembly polls in the state, Darekar gave the credit for the campaign at the grassroot level by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) encouraging people to go out and vote.
The final voting percentage in Maharashtra assembly polls was 66.05 per cent, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019, the Election Commission had said.
Darekar said that 'Ladki Bahin Yojana' of the Mahayuti government has struck the right chord.
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